Taken Away
by Bluekit5
Summary: Ichigo finds Rukia in an alley in the middle of the winter after her brother kicks her out and decides to "keep" her. She's not really liking it though...
1. Chapter 1

She was cold, so very cold. The thin blanket offered little to none protection or warmth from the chilly night as Rukia huddled in the corner of a dark alley.

_Why?_ She asked herself. _Why was I so stupid? Nii-sama disowned me. If only I had obeyed his wishes I wouldn't be in an alley in the middle of the winter. No, I would be safe and warm in his house. But…no. _And now she was stuck sleeping in an alley.

Shivering from the cold, Rukia felt an urge to close her eyes. She was so sleepy, so tired. She closed her eyes. Suddenly, a warm pair of arms lifted her off the ground, but she barley noticed. The cold winter night was getting to her.

"Nii-sama?" She whispered.

"No," the man to whom the arms belonged to said. His voice was almost pained as she whispered her brother's name. Rukia glanced around confused. She was _so_ tired. She didn't care who picked her up; she just wanted sleep. She closed her eyes once more as the warm arms cradled her small figure.

When Rukia woke up, she was on a king-sized bed surrounded by big, fluffy, white pillows. Many thick blankets covered her still-chilled body. Struggling to untangle herself from the blankets wrapped around her, she shot up like a bullet and tripped. Where was she? She looked around the room and ran her gaze over a nightstand. Upon closer inspection she saw a photo of a young man with wild orange hair and melting amber eyes. What she saw next shocked her. Next to the photo of the young man was a small photo of her cut out of her high school yearbook. She froze at the sound of a shower running and ran to the door. She turned the knob and shot out into a long hallway.

Rukia started to panic and ran to the end of the hall. _Get out! Get out! GET OUT! _She screamed to herself and sprinted towards the front door. The shower turned off.

"Rukia?" a voice called.

Rukia slammed into the door, yanking at the knob. Damn. It was locked.

"Rukia, where are you?" Shit, the voice was closer. She slammed into the door again and again. Trying to make it budge open. Her tiny shoulders slamming against the wooden door barley made a soft thump.

The orange-haired appeared out of a door with just a towel hanging around his waist. She panicked even more and ran to the left again. He followed her every move. She came to a dead-end hallway and turned around. Her eyes flashed wildly as the man blocked her exit. Fear was basically steaming off her body as she backed herself into a corner. And she sure acted like a cornered animal. She growled as the man came closer to her.

"Rukia don't be scared," the man said softly and reached out a hand. She snapped at the hand like a wild cat and sank to the floor. She whimpered slightly as the man went closer to her anyway, regardless of her warnings to keep away.

"How-w-w do you know my named?" Rukia asked very quietly. The man grinned and leaned closer to her.

"I know everything about Rukia."


	2. Chapter 2

Rukia whimpered again as the man leaned over her. His eyes softened as he heard he whimper in fear.

"I won't hurt you," he added, "My name is Ichigo." Rukia tried to scoot away from him, but he gently grabbed her arm. He pulled her towards him and cradled her in his arms like an injured animal. She was too tired to fight him and knew, if she did, she would probably lose. So she sat there in his arms. If he even wanted to kill her, he already would have. He countless opportunities to kill or rape her, but he didn't. Though, he still couldn't trust him.

"What do you want from me?" Rukia asked quietly. He smiled a little and just shook his head. He was treating her like an animal she noticed. He was still holding her. It made her feel uncomfortable because her eyes kept glancing at his muscular chest. But he didn't seem to notice; he was too absorbed with looking at her.

After awhile, he stood up and carried her back to the bedroom. He carefully placed her among the pillows and shuffled back to the bathroom saying that he was going to get dressed.

As soon as the bathroom door closed, Rukia got up again and jumped for the door. Trying to twist it, but it wouldn't move. He had locked it. Probably wanting to make sure she didn't try to run off again. Sighing, Rukia turned around to see a window. Her eyes lit up and she quietly bounded over and slid it up. The only problem wad that they were on the top floor of a 30 story building. She could jump, but would probably die or get severely injured. She looked out the window again and turned her head to the left. There was a fire escape! Wonderful.

Now, if she was right, Ichigo would take at least two more minutes in the bathroom, plenty of time for her to get a head start. Or even be down at the bottom before he came out.

Rukia carefully swung her legs over and fell down onto the fire escape. It rang as her feet slammed into the metal. Holy crap its cold outside, Rukia thought as she shivered.

She skipped down the steps, two at a time, not hearing Ichigo open the door and call her name.

He had left for a minute to get dressed and now she was gone! He made sure to the lock the door so she wouldn't go out of the bedroom and try to get out again. How did she get out? Then, Ichigo felt a strong and chilly winter breeze and spied the open window. He had forgotten to lock that too, though it wouldn't have mattered since the locks on the window did not require a key to open it; only enough force to slide the locks into the unlocked position. Ichigo peered over to the fire escape and saw the raven-haired girl agilely hopping down the steps. He slipped on the fire escape and silently followed her, fuming. She didn't give any sign that she knew she was being followed.

Rukia bounced off the last step and started to run down the alleyway to the bright, people-filled streets. Ichigo crept up beside her and grabbed her waist. She yelped as his strong arms wrapped around her waist and dragged her back to the steps.

"Let me go!" Rukia screamed kicking and hitting Ichigo. Her fist landed square on his cheek. He yelled in fake pain, even though her tiny fist had barely hit him in the first place. He picked Rukia up and threw her over his shoulders and slowly started to climb up the stairs. After what seemed like hours, they finally reached the open bedroom window.

Ichigo pushed Rukia in and climbed in himself. Rukia stood, frozen in fear, as he advanced towards her, face bright red and eyes flashing dangerously. She started to back away from him, but he was already close enough. He raised his hand back and slapped her hard across her cheek. She reeled back and fell onto the bed. Rukia finally broke down and started to softly cry, getting louder.

Ichigo's eyes widen as he realized what he had done and felt guilty as a red handprint began to appear on her cheek. He rushed towards her and picked her up like a young child.

"Shh. I'm sorry Rukia, I didn't mean it," cooed Ichigo, sitting on the bed and rocking Rukia back and forth in his arms. She kept sobbing as he soothed her, not really caring that it was him holding her just wanting to be held. Like her Nii-sama used to do when she was very little. Thinking of her Nii-sama made her cry even harder.

"Shh. You'll be okay," Ichigo said rubbing her back like a parent would do to a young child to soothe them. A few minutes later Rukia stopped crying and sniffed. Ichigo laid back on the bed, pulling Rukia with him. Her small, petite figure laying over his tall, muscular one.

This is wrong, Rukia thought. I don't even know him. She abruptly sat up and turned away from him.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked.

"I don't know who you are, what you do or anything or why you're keeping me here in the first place. I demand that you release me at once." Rukia's soft violet eyes turned cold and hard like Byakuya's as she spoke.

"I-I-I can't," Ichigo stuttered, his voice full of hurt.

"Why? This is kidnapping!" Rukia's voice began to rise and her face flushed with anger.

"I'm sorry but…." He trailed off.

"But what?" He just shook his head and got up.

"How about we go to the mall? It's only a block or two away. I could get you some new clothes since you'll be needing them," Ichigo said.

"I don't want to go anywhere with you."

"Please..," Ichigo stared into her eyes, begging.

Rukia sighed. "Fine." She could have a chance of escaping.

They rode down the elevator in silence and stepped out into the lobby. Walking to the mall didn't take long and soon enough they were there. He grabbed her hand to make sure she didn't get "lost". They walked around, not really looking at anything when Rukia tugged on his hand.

"Ichigo, I had to go to the ladies room," Rukia whispered. He nodded and pointed to a vendor's cart.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. She actually was very hungry and that would give her a perfect chance to slip away from him, unnoticed. She told him yes and walked towards the bathroom. She knew he was watching her so she calmly walked over and stepped into the safety of the bathroom.

Rukia headed towards the sink and splashed water on her face. She slowly counted to 10 before slipping back put. Ichigo's back was turned to her as he paid the vendor. She started to sprint towards the elevator, but stopped as Ichigo turned around. He was oblivious to the fact that she was trying to run away again.

"Rukia!" He called and walked towards her. Crap. She forced herself to remain where she was and smiled sweetly at him. He seemed pleased that she smiled at him snaked an arm around her waist.

"Look what I got," Ichigo said, smirking. And in his hand was Rukia's favoritest thing in the entire world. (Next to bunnies of course!)

**Hey guys! Hope you like this chapter. Was it long enough? If you felt it wasn't I can **_**always**_** make them longer, but it might take longer to update. Review my darlings if you can. I'll try to update as soon as possible since I'm already working on chapter three. Thanks! **


	3. Chapter 3

**WOW! Two updates in one day! I hope you guys appreciate this. IT took my FOREVER, but since I have nothing better to do I will finish chapter three! TA-DA! Well enjoy **

Rukia's eyes widened greedily at the most amazing desert in Ichigo's hand. She stepped towards it, but Ichigo held it above his head, teasing her. She grumbled because brownie pudding sundae was her favorite food in the entire world. Layer upon layer of fudge brownies, chocolate pudding, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream with a big, juicy strawberry at the top. Nii-sama always used to take her out to get one every Sunday afternoon. (**See how a lot of stuff involves Byakuya?) **Since she had been kicked out on the streets, she hadn't had one in quite sometime.

"Give," she demanded, stretching up her arm to try and grab the cup.

"Only if you share," Ichigo said, smirking up a storm.

"Fine. Now give me," Rukia growled, leaning on Ichigo still trying to grab it. He handed her the cup and lead them to a table by a woman's clothing store. He handed her a fork which she immediately used to dig in. He watched her, amused and tried to get a bite. He did, but by the time he finished that one bite, it was gone. He laughed seeing chocolate and whipped cream smeared across Rukia's face. She frowned as she wiped it all off with a napkin.

"Ichigo!" a bubbly voice screamed. An auburn colored hair girl with large…umm...you know...came running up to Ichigo and gave him a huge bear hug. He grimaced and rode out the hug knowing it was going to be a long one. The girl finally let go and Ichigo greeted her.

"Oh… Hi Orhime," he said looking away. Strangely, Rukia immediately decided she did not like this Orhime.

"Hello. I saw you from across the mall and knew I just had to say hi to you," Orhime said, blushing a little.

"Yeah. It was…it was seeing you," Ichigo looked around trying to get her to go away.

"And who's this," Orhime asked, "your sister?"

"Um no. She's my girlfriend." As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Orhime shoot Rukia a dirty glare. Rukia looked at Ichigo with her mouth hanging wide open. _Did he just call me his girlfriend? I'm so kicking his ass when we go back to the house. _

"Oh," Orhime said. "She seems too young for you. Or is just that short?" Fake sweetness poured out of her mouth.

"Yeah, she is pretty short." Rukia glared at Ichigo. She was not _that_ short.

"Well, I'd better get going," Orhime turned around and left, but not before shooting daggers at Rukia with her eyes.

"Um. Do you want to go try on clothe or something?" Ichigo asked, pointing at the shop behind them.

Rukia gasped. "But that's the most expensive store here!"

"Yeah, my old man's rich. How do you think I afford where I live?" Rukia never noticed that the apartment building he lived in was one of the most expensive in town.

"You really want to watch me try on clothes?" Rukia asked, interested that he wanted too. Not one of her former boyfriends ever gave her this much attention. She kinda…liked it.

"Of course," he said. She agreed and they walked into the store. A young saleswoman greeted them at the door and recommended many clothes that would like good on Rukia's small figure. For the next hour or two, they spent in the shop, Rukia trying on millions of clothes and Ichigo telling her which ones he liked. In the end, Ichigo had bought her at least three bags filled with clothes. And not one of her former boyfriends had been willing to spend this much on her. It felt good.

They walked around the mall for a bit, not realizing at all that Orhime was watching them the whole time. Finally, they went inside to a pet shop. Sadly, they did not have any bunnies. But they did have kittens. Rukia's next favorite animal.

She ran up to the cage and started petting a small, fluffy gray one through the metal bars. He was the smallest of the litter and looked like he got bullied by his older, stronger siblings. Ichigo saw how enchanted Rukia was with the kitten.

"How much for the small, gray kitten?" Ichigo asked the shop keeper.

"What that little thing? Take him. He's a nuisance anyway. I always have to intervene the bigger ones from attacking him. Damn mom cat sure won't do it," the shop puffed out.

"I'll take him. Do you have a supplies kit or something?" Ichigo asked. Rukia hadn't heard a thing he said.

"Yeah for 50 bucks," the shop keeper said, lifting a big box from under the counter. Ichigo forked over the money and was handed a box to put the kitten in. The shop keeper walked over and opened up the cage and took the gray kitten out. Rukia was bewildered until she saw Ichigo holding the box the shop keeper was putting the kitten in.

She bounced up and hugged Ichigo. "You're really getting me the kitten!" she said excitedly. Ichigo smiled and handed her the small box that held the tiny kitten. She smiled and peeked through the air holes in the box.

Ichigo almost giggled at how happy she was. Maybe she realized he wasn't bad at all. He put an arm around her waist and led her back home, Rukia cooing to the kitten the whole way there. Little did they notice Orhime secretly following them.

Rukia lay on the living room floor setting up the kitten's litter box. The kitten was climbing on her back and playing with her hair. Ichigo sat next to her. The kitten jumped down and made his way towards Ichigo. He leaped onto Ichigo's lap and snuggled down on his leg, purring. Rukia rolled onto her back, exhausted. Today had been very long and she wanted sleep very bad. She had finally accepted the fact that she was going to be here awhile; whether she liked it or not. Something inside of her liked staying here. She wasn't sure.

Ichigo saw that she was tired and got up, the kitten opening his tiny mouth in protest. He carefully picked Rukia up wile the kitten jumped onto her stomach. He carried both of them into the bedroom and gently placed them down on the bed. Rukia snuggled into the warmth, the kitten curling up by her neck. Ichigo quickly got changed into his pajama's (just shorts basically). Rukia had changed into her bunny pj's awhile go and was now happily sleeping. Ichigo slipped under the covers, moving Rukia closer to him. She sighed happily as arms wrapped around her. She was in bliss.

A shrill alarm clock woke them up from their sleep. Ichigo fumbled around with the alarm clock until it stopped ringing. Rukia closed her eyes again. But Ichigo gently shook her shoulders. He was changing.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I have a job to get to. My friend, Renji, will be around noon to drop off some lunch. If you need me call me," Ichigo left a piece of paper with his business and cell phone numbers.

"Oh, ok," Rukia said feeling stupid. Of course he had a job! But why did she care. Once again, there was that part of her that cared. That wanted to stay, but…

"Bye," Ichigo called, closing the front door and heading to the elevator. Rukia slowly got up, not wanting to wake Leo, which is what she named the kitten. He woke up anyway, with a huge yawn for something as tiny as him.

She spent the morning roaming around the apartment, and it was a big one. It had a big kitchen and living room, two guest bedrooms, two bathrooms, a master bedroom, a laundry room, and many hallways leading to all this rooms. There was also a balcony and you could see the whole city from it. She sat out on the balcony a few minutes before noon when the door bell rang. She sprinted to see if it was that Renji guy. She couldn't tell because she was too short to see through the peephole. She picked up a stool and was about to bring it over when the door opened.

A bright red-haired man stepped through motioning for someone else to stop.

"Hello you must be Rukia. I'm Renji," the man added, "and this is Orhime." The girl stepped through smiling triumphantly.

"We've met before," Orhime said sweetly. Rukia cast a worried glance towards Orhime. Something made her nervous around Orhime.

"Yeah, we have. Why are you here?"

"She's my girlfriend," Renji said, walking over to the kitchen. "I hope you like grilled cheese sandwiches."

"Actually, I do," Rukia said heading towards the kitchen.

"Shit! I forget the brownie sundae Ichigo said you liked. I'll go and get it. Be right back," Renji dashed out the door car keys in hand.

"Oh wait!" Rukia called after him, but she was too late. She turned back around to see Orhime with two mugs in her hand.

"I made some tea," she said. They sat down at the kitchen table in awkward silence. Finally Orhime broke the silence.

"Oh Rukia, I do believe we got off on the wrong foot. Maybe we can start over?" Orhime looked up at Rukia, friendliness in her eyes.

"Of course we can," Rukia agreed. She took a sip of her tea and almost gagged. It tasted very funny and not right. So she just held it in her hands. They made small talk until Renji appeared with the deserts. When Orhime walked out for a minute, Rukia dumped the rest of her tea into a plant next to her.

A little while later, after they finished eating and Renji and Orhime left, Rukia plopped down on the couch. She didn't feel so well. She kept coughing.

At eight o'clock, Ichigo came home. He called her name, but no answer. Did she get out again? He bought her a damn kitten and got her clothes! She couldn't of possibly…then he a moan. He walked into the living room to see a curled up Rukia on the couch whimpering in pain.

**What's wrong with Rukia? You'll just have to find out. Review if you can my darlings and I shall update as soon as I can. Thanks for reading. :D **


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. To start off, let's get some things straight. First, I would like to thank Lilikap for giving me an idea. You rock! Now onto the second matter. This is MY story, "chibi critic". I know you said not to get offended, buttt I did. Please don't tell me how to run/write MY story. Just saying. Because their characters. I make them act how they want to. Or put whoever I want with whomever. Even though, I DO NOT own Bleach. AT ALL! And thanks guys for reviewing. Is it going too fast? Cuz I think I am….Well enjoy... :) **

Ichigo leaned over the couch, worried. Rukia wouldn't, no couldn't, answer him. All she did was whimper and clutch her stomach.

Finally, she spoke. "It's…it's just the flu. Please don't worry about me. I'll be fine." She was cut off by a fit of coughing. She settled down after a minute or two.

"Rukia?" Ichigo said. He sounded very worried. It didn't look like just the flu to him. It seemed like something more, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe he should take her to the doctor.

Leo had curled up by her stomach, licking her arm once in a while. He seemed worried too. But he was just a kitten. What did he know?

Ichigo really didn't care if he got sick as he held her. Hopefully she would sleep. She whimpered for the millionth time and grabbed her stomach once more. Ichigo carried her to bed, wrapping her up like a burrito in blankets. She moaned she was still cold so Ichigo piled more blankets on top of her. He placed a bright red bucket by her side of the bed just in case. Good thing.

Rukia woke up feeling plain terrible. During the night, she had thrown up three times. And all she ate yesterday was some eggs and a grilled cheese sandwich. Oh don't forget the brownie pudding sundae. Her hair was a mess and dirty. Her eyes dull and lifeless. It pained Ichigo to see her this way.

"I don't have to go to till 9 o'clock," Ichigo said. "How about you take a shower and later I can take you to see the doctor?" Rukia nodded and tried to get up, but back down. She was too weak from throwing up and her stomach being completely empty. Ichigo knew he would have to help her, but he didn't want it to be too awkward. He walked over to the closet and searched in one of the bags of clothes Rukia got yesterday. He found what he was looking for and held it out to Rukia. It was a Chappy swim suit. Don't ask why they got a swim suit in the middle of winter. Rukia saw it on sale and wanted it very badly. Obviously, she got it. (**XD)**

"Do you think you can get this on?" he asked. She nodded and took the swim suit from him, throwing a blanket over her entire body.

Ichigo walked out and closed the door, blushing.

Rukia slipped her clothes off and her swim suit on. There also was a Chappy cover to with it so she put it on. She already knew without Ichigo explaining that he was going to help her wash. She really didn't want to go and see the doctor, but Ichigo would have her go anyway.

He walked back in, lifted her up, and walked into the bathroom. He gently set her down in the bathtub, turning the hot water on. She sighed in relief as the hot water hit her feet and soothed her aching skin. Ichigo let the tub fill up a bit before turning the water off. He got a bottle of shampoo and started massaging her wet hair with it. After rinsing, he poured some conditioner in his hand and ran his fingers though her short, silky hair. He rinsed her hair once more and started to wash her body. He was careful not to go near certain…"areas". Finally, he was done and dried her off with a towel.

Ichigo went out again and Rukia, feeling refreshed, slipped her clothes back on. Ichigo came back in again. He ran a brush through her hair before picking her and setting her back on the bed.

"Yeah, this is Ichigo. Listen my girlfriend is sick and I'm taking her to the doctor. Can I come in after lunch? Ok, thanks. Bye," Ichigo flipped his cell phone shut. "Come on Rukia." He helped her up and out the front door. But not before throwing a winter coat on her. They got in his car and drove off to the doctor.

"She was very lucky," the doctor said as Ichigo's mouth was hanging wide open in shock. "If she had drank any more then that one sip of the poisoned tea, she would be dead. I'll give her some antibiotics to help wear off the side effects. She should be fine by tomorrow." The doctor paused. "And make she gets some food. She's skinny as heck." Ichigo nodded.

"Thank you," he said. The doctor nodded and led them back to the waiting room handing Ichigo a bottle a medicine. They went back to the car, Ichigo happy that Rukia would finally feel better.

Orhime slammed her fist on the table. "I thought you said that the poison would kill her!" She screamed.

A voice in the shadows replied. "It will. But she did not drink all of it. It simply wasn't enough to kill her."

"Well that doesn't work! I broke up with fucking Renji already! Now I have no way into the house to try and poison her again!"

"If that unhappy with the results, we could always try another way."

"Tell me then, Aizen." Orhime narrowed her eyes.

"Kidnap her. I have the men. Sell her or something," Aizen calmly said. He leaned back in his chair, looking satisfied.

"What if I want to kill her?"

"Well, we're not the type to kill…" Aizen trailed off.

"So?" Orhime hissed.

"So we will not kill her."

"Uggh. Fine. Just kidnap her and I'll figure out what to do with her after." Orhime slid a bag towards Aizen. He peeked in and grinned.

"Job accepted."

"Ichigo?"

"Yeah?"

"Orhime just broke up with me."

**DONE! Booyah! How ya like it? Review my darling. (if it's a nice review, not a review asking me if I want that "crazy tale" in my story or not) Thanks darlings! I'll update as soon as I can! Love you! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys. Sorry about the confusion about the last part. I put a line but my computer was all like no it's gonna disappear. When you see a * that means it's like another setting/scene thingy. So yea it was Renji that talked to Ichigo on the phone… Anyways enjoy!**

Rukia yawned and stretched her arms. She was feeling better already with the medicine. She hopped up from the bed and saw Ichigo had gotten up already. Walking into the kitchen, she saw Ichigo making breakfast. Suddenly, she got very curious.

"Ichigo?" She said quietly. He turned around.

"Yes Rukia?" He looked up from making eggs and at her.

"Umm, why…why do you keep me here? Why do you take care of me? Why won't you let me go?" Rukia asked and looked away keeping her head down.

"I...I...I like you. A lot, actually. I just thought…," he trailed off, blushing.

"You thought what?" She pressed.

"I thought that maybe, if I helped you, you would like me too," Ichigo fixed his attention on his eggs, refusing to even sneak a glance at her. Rukia's eyes softened and she gently touched his arm.

"Ichigo, I'm very grateful for what you have done for me, but kidnapping me and keeping me here won't exactly win my heart," she said very softly. He looked up. His eyes full of hurt. "Maybe you could take me on a date. Like a normal couple would do." She smiled at him.

_A normal couple? _Ichigo thought. _She thinks of us like a couple? Hey, maybe I should take her on a date. _

"Sure. How about I take you out to lunch?" Ichigo asked, feeling happy again.

"Sounds good," Rukia said. The time between breakfast and lunch passed slowly, both excited for noon. Noon finally came. Rukia bundled up in her winter coat and mittens that matched. Ichigo threw a scarf around her neck before bundling up against the cold, harsh winter air.

They walked out the apartment door and into the elevator with a young man. He took interest in them, texting fast on his cell phone while stealing glances at them. After they got off, he seemed to follow them. Rukia was very nervous and clung onto Ichigo's arm. Ichigo didn't really notice as they walked to the nearest café. One more block until they reached the café.

Suddenly, the young man from the elevator jumped in front of them as a black van lurched forward onto the sidewalk. The young man grabbed Rukia by the arm and pulled her towards the van. Ichigo leaped on the man, trying to get him to let go of Rukia.

"Help!" Rukia screamed before a hand clamped down on her mouth. Another man appeared out of the van and knocked Ichigo aside. The young man pushed Rukia inside the van and another man grabbed her and twisted her arms behind her back.

"RUKIA!" Ichigo yelled as the van door closed and the van drove away. He tried to chase the van, but he soon got tired and the van sped away.

"I demand you let me go this instant!" Rukia yelled aiming a punch at the man behind her. He dodged and twisted her arms behind her back again. She yelped in pain. The man pulled out some rope and tied her wrists and ankles together. Then he stuffed a handkerchief in her mouth.

"That ought to shut her up," he joked to the other men. They laughed with him. The drive was unbearable, Rukia feeling very uncomfortable with being tied up and a gag stuffed in her mouth. Her throat was getting intolerable dry and her wrists red from trying to slip them out. They made her lay down and threw a blanket over her. And Rukia had no clue why. Sooner then later, the van abruptly lurched to a stop. A man threw Rukia over his shoulders as they got out and carried her inside a house.

He stopped outside a small room and dumped her in, locking the door behind him. Rukia collapsed on the floor. Why her? Kidnapped twice in two weeks? What's up with her and getting kidnapped?

She looked up when somebody walked through the door.

"Orhime!" Rukia cried jumping up to hug the girl. A look of disgust crossed Orhime's face as she pushed Rukia away.

"You're a dumb bitch you know. I'm not your fucking friend. I'm the one who poisoned you, baka," Orhime said.

"W-W-What?" Rukia stuttered.

"You heard me. Now you'll be needing to wear this from now on," Orhime handed Rukia a maid's outfit. "Since you'll be my personal slave. I can't kill you or anything, but I can make Ichigo think you're gone forever and then I'll swoop in and comfort him and he'll love me instead of you." A dreamy gaze flashed across her face before her eyes turned hard again. She tossed the clothes towards Rukia. "Oh, and watch out for some of the men. They've been known to chase the maids." She smiled terribly and exited the room.

Rukia put her head in her hands and began to cry.

Ichigo slammed his fist into the wall again and again. Renji looked on with worry.

"Maybe you should stop before you break the wall," Renji muttered.

"Shut up! I should have fought harder! No. I shouldn't have taken her out. It's all my fault she's gone!" He yelled, slamming his fist into the wall again.

"Call the police. We'll find her," Renji said.

"What if we don't! We don't know what they want with Rukia in the first place! She doesn't have money or anything. I mean she was sleeping in an alley before she came here," Ichigo said angrily.

Renji was about to speak when a loud knock was heard on the front door.

"Uggh. Who could it possibly be," Ichigo groaned, standing up from the coach and walking towards the door. There was another knock. "Coming! Hold on a second!" He yelled. He opened the door.

"Oh Ichigo!"

**Who could be at the door? Well you'll just have to find out in the next chapter! Thanks for reading. Please review if you can and if you liked it! Thanks my darlings see you later!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated as fast as I normally would I have. I had graduation stuff going on and personal stuff. And no, I did not graduate from high school. No not college… I'll leave that for you to figure out. I mean I could be a preschooler graduating from preschool for all you know. Yeah, anyways, I'm trying to slow things down because I feel like it's going too fast, as some of my other reviews said also, and yeah. Well enjoy as always. Unless you don't enjoy it. I'm not forcing you to…or am I? Hmmm… Oh and I'll try something diff. to make sure you guys know it's a diff. scene/setting.**

"Keigo now's not the time," Ichigo said, running a hand through his hair as he leaned on the doorway.

"Aww. Why not Ichigo?" Keigo whined, sticking out his lip to pout.

"None of your business!" Ichigo snapped.

"Please! I'm bored and I see Renji in there," Keigo poked his head through the door. Ichigo pushed Keigo's head out and was about to close the door.

"No…just leave Keigo," Ichigo said, sighing. Keigo finally noticed Ichigo was distressed.

"What's wrong Ichigo?"

"Nothing." Ichigo slammed the door in Keigo's face and turned around. Renji just shrugged.

(New Scene…yeah pathetic I know...)

Rukia turned the maid's outfit over and over in her hands. Basically it was just a white blouse and black slacks. Not what you would call a 'maid's outfit'. Oh well, like she cared. Some part of her missed Ichigo. Rukia never imagined herself to ever think that about him, not even when she realized she was going to be there awhile, or when she found her torn-out yearbook picture. But she did. He had been very kind from the start, except the slap, and seemed to genuinely care about her and her feelings. Unlike her former boyfriend, Hichigo. Strangely, Hichigo looked a lot like Ichigo; almost identical except Hichigo had pale skin, white hair, and golden eyes. Ichigo had orange hair, amber eyes, and tan skin. Maybe, if she had dated Ichigo instead of Hichigo, Byakuya would have never disowned her in the first place.

You see, Byakuya always chose and accepted people he thought worthy of dating Rukia. Always. She never once got to choose. Since she had turned eighteen, she decided she was going to choose whoever she wanted to date. Wrong choice. She stilled lived with Byakuya so he still had the rules set in place when she had began to date. Rukia met Hichigo in school, but he dropped out because he was a trouble maker. Byakuya thought of Hichigo as trash and forbid Rukia to even look at him; she was a Kuchiki after all. Rukia started to date Hichigo secretly, though he wasn't the best choice of a boyfriend after all. He started to abuse her and called her a bitch and many other names every chance he got. She stayed with him until Byakuya found out. He was enraged that Rukia had gone behind his back and still stayed with that 'trash' even though he was abusing her. He decided to disown her. A Kuchiki would never act like that, he had said. And out she was thrown onto the streets.

Maybe if she hadn't date Hichigo, she would be out of this mess. But she did. No going back now. But then she wouldn't have met Ichigo. Oh what was she thinking! He had kidnapped her for crying out loud! But he was so sweet and kind and generous. She shook her head to rid these thoughts. She had a bigger problem to worry about than her feelings. How was she ever going to escape this mess?

A sharp knock interrupted her thoughts as her head snapped up. A short, blonde-haired man with tiny glasses framing his face poked his head in. Rolling his eyes, he stepped in.

"You're still not in your uniform. I'll give you ten minutes to clean yourself up before your duties begin," he informed her before stepping back out. Rukia hastily changed and smoothed her hair over her shoulders. At least the outfit was decent, not like any other maid's outfit she could have imagined.

The man came back in and ushered her out, telling her to keep close to her as he swept down a grand hallway. He paused and looked back at her.

"Well Miss. Kuchiki, I might as well inform you of your duties before you being them," he took a deep breathe and continued. "You are to clean the hallways each and every morning. In the afternoon, you are to clean the dining room. After dark, you are to look after a special little maid." He started to walk again, Rukia following closely. Special little maid? What was he talking about? He led her to a closet.

"This is where you will be getting your cleaning supplies. Also, you will be watched like a hawk around these cleaning supplies," he peered at her over his glasses. "You will not try to harm Lady Inoue in any way. Now if you have any questions, ask now or they'll never be answered." He straightened up.

Umm…well…why do you call Orhime Lady Inoue? I didn't think she was rich…" Rukia asked sheepishly.

"Of course she's rich. She couldn't afford all the hired servants with no money now could she?" He was amused by her embarrassment. "I'll show you the way to the dining room since it's not dark yet and you won't have your other duty to do yet." He showed her the dining room and gave her the necessary supplies to make it sparkle and shine. Rukia worked all afternoon until dusk arrived.

Once again, the short, blonde-hair man appeared. He seemed satisfied with the work she had done and led her to a different room. It was painted bright pink and looked like a little girl's room. There were bright pink curtains and bed covers. The rug was even pink! Rukia turned around confused, but the man had gone and gotten something. Or someone. A little girl, around six or seven walked in.

"Asa, this is Kuckiki Rukia. Rukia, this is Asa, the maid you will be helping at night." The short man left, closing the door after him, not leaving any instructions of what she was suppose to do.

"Umm…I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do," Rukia said, feeling awkward.

"Oh, you just stay in here with me for a little bit," the girl replied sweetly.

"Oh." They sat there in silence. Finally, Rukia broke the silence.

"You look too young to be a maid," Rukia commented. Asa looked down at her shoes.

"Yes, I know I am," she replied.

"Why are you one then? Surely your family wouldn't make you."

"They don't because…because…their dead." The little girl burst into tears. Rukia, feeling guilty that she said anything, picked up the little girl and held her on her lap. Asa sobbed and clutched onto Rukia. She soothed the little girl, holding her until her sobs were reduced to a sniffle.

"Asa, do they force you to work here?" Rukia asked gently.

"Yes. They found me on the streets when I was four. They told me my mommy and daddy were dead and I had to come and live with them. Lady Inoue was kind at first, but when I turned five she made me work. I just…I just want my mommy and daddy!" Asa burst back into tears again, but stopped quickly.

"It's okay. I'm being forced to work here too. Maybe we could escape together. Maybe they were lying about your mommy and daddy being dead." Asa's eyes lit up at the mention that her mother and father could be alive. "Do think you could help me?" Asa nodded and leaned in as Rukia began to whisper in her ear.

(New Scene...yeah still pathetic)

Ichigo dialed a number and held his cell phone to his ear.

"What do you want Kurosaki?" A voice rang in his ear.

"Listen, Kiske, Rukia has gone missing," Ichigo said.

"Oh so she rejected you again?" giggle Udahara. "You _really_ need to work on your romance skills."

"No, she was kidnapped. By who, I'm unsure of. But she was poisoned prior to the kidnapping."

Kiske's voice turned serious. "Anyone you know who would be out to get her?" he asked.

"No, not at all."

"Well, you'd better get over here then. It's time to do a little research."

**Hmm… How did crazy and mental Udahara get involved in this? I don't know really. HAHAHA you guys thought it was going to be Orhime at the door. No. I'm sorry I **_**just **_**had to pull this one on you guys because you peeps were saying it was probably Orhime. I'm sorry I'm a baaaddd person. Well at least you guys know why Byakuya disowned Rukia. To me, it seemed a little harsh. WAIT A MINUTE! I'm the author so JK. Haha. Sorry, getting on task here. And will Hichigo turn up again? Damn it, I gave it away. Well screw it… Hoped you guys liked it... Review my darlings it's appreciated around here XD **


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey peeps of the world of fan fiction :)))) I decided to work on Chapter 7, having nothing better to do then watch TV. Hehehehehe. I don't how long I'm going to make this story, I've been planning out how it was gonna end after a few or more chapters, buttt I couldn't. So please, I beg you, put up with some nonsense. Thank you darlings. So enjoy! **

Ichigo sat at Urahara's (yeah I know I spelled it wrong in the previous chapter) while the older man flipped through some papers.

"You're positive no one would have intentions to hurt Rukia?" Urahara asked for the millionth time.

"Yes," Ichigo answered for the millionth time. He sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"What about former boyfriends, jealous girls, something?"

"Well, I know none of her former boyfriends would hurt her, no jealous girls that I know of," Ichigo sighed.

"Who was he last boyfriend? Rumors from Byakuya's business said the reason he disowned her because of her recent ex," Urahara flipped through more pages. His eyes fell on a certain name. A very familiar one. "What do you know about Rukia dating a Hichigo?" Ichigo froze at the name.

"She…she dated a Hichigo? Last name?" Ichigo shook his head. No it couldn't be. It can't be.

"Funny thing, he has the same last name as you, Kurosaki." Ichigo nearly fainted. How could have Rukia dated his _brother_.

Rukia felt a hand shake her shoulder. She mumbled something and pushed the hand away.

"Wake up!" The same man from yesterday shook her shoulders harder. "It's time for your morning duties Miss. Kuchiki." Rukia's eyes fluttered open. "It's almost seven o'clock AM. Time to get ready." He swiftly left. Rukia dragged herself out of the small, lean mattress she had slept on the night before and quickly pulled her uniform on. She was in a terrible mood until she remembered last night. A grin now on her face, she quietly waited for the man to come back, the plan already forming. He came back and led her to the hallways she was to clean and left her alone. Rukia swiftly went though her morning chore. At lunch, she went to the servant's dining room and sat next to Asa. They were the first ones there. Rukia waited until everyone was there before she gave the signal to Asa. She brushed her forehead.

Asa stood up and announced she was going to the ladies room. A servant that acted like a guard for Orhime followed Asa. Rukia slipped out of the room following the guard. Asa walked into the bathroom, waiting for Rukia to distract the guard.

"Oh, is Asa in there? I thought she was going to a different bathroom. I might as well wait," Rukia said and stood next to the door. Asa came out, trailing water back through to the hall. She gave Rukia a signal and Rukia pretended to slip on the water.

"GAHHH!" She dramatically screamed as she landed on her butt. The guard bent down to help her, not noticing Asa run off to the main door. No guards were at the door considering they were at lunch watching the only thing Orhime felt that needed to be watched: the servants. Asa stealthy slipped through the door, clutching an address and a meager amount of money in her hands. She ran and ran until she was away from the mansion and near the city Rukia told her about. Asa loved Rukia even though she barely knew her. Rukia had devised a plan that would get them both out of Lady Inoue's house and into safety.

Asa shivered from the cold, wishing she had brought the jacket she had, but it would have looked too suspicious in the warm house of Lady Orhime. Finally, Asa reached the outskirts of the city. She raised her hand up for a cab as Rukia instructed her to do. A bright yellow cab stopped by her. She got in and handed the cab driver the paper. He glanced at it, then back at her.

"Aren't you a little young to be traveling alone?" he asked. He ran a hand through his disappearing brown hair.

"No. Can you take me there?" Asa said, amused by his receding hair-line. She then focused on the reason why she was there and was serious again.

"It's someway out of my area, but I'll take you," he said, secretly not wanting to leave a six year old alone in the worst part of town. It was a short drive, only fifteen minutes. He tried to make small talk, but she refused to answer him, nervous to get where she was going. He dropped her off at the tall apartment building, telling her to be safe and insisting she didn't need to pay him before driving off. She went inside, through the lobby and stepped into an elevator. Level 30, Rukia told her. She reached on her tippy toes to press the button labeled '30'. She pressed and button and stood back down. Folding her hands behind her back, she waited for the elevator to reach Level 30. She watched the numbers rise until it said 30. The doors opened with a ding at Level 30. She walked until she saw the apartment labeled 30-B and quietly knocked. No answer. She heard someone fumbling around and a loud cracking noise, like a vase hitting the ground and shattering to a million pieces. She knocked again, trying to be louder. Still no answer. But she could hear someone inside. They were cussing too. Asa didn't like it when people cussed. She knocked again, louder than before. Still no answer. She was getting upset. Rukia said he would be here! She was positive! Asa knocked again.

"Hello?" she said loudly, hoping the person inside would hear her. Maybe she was at the wrong apartment. She was sure Rukia said Level 30; apartment B. Rukia could have said Level _3 _instead of 30. She shrugged and decided to knock one last time. She knocked and the door swung open. Locked in combat was the man Rukia described, Ichigo. The person he was trying to punch looked exactly like him except he had white hair, golden eyes, and pale skin.

Ichigo noticed a little girl staring at him with wide eyes. "Ichigo?" she said.

Hichigo took Ichigo's distraction as an advantage to slug him in the stomach.

"Damn you Hichigo," Ichigo said before slamming Hichigo's head against the wall. Hichigo slumped to the floor, unconscious. Ichigo turned to the frightened girl. "What?" he said.

Asa trembled and replied. "I know where Rukia is."

**How you like? Too fast? I don't know… I iz tired *yawns* Well I'm off to find candy to keep me awake. Review my darlings. Oh the question! What the heck was Hichigo doing at Ichigo's and why were they trying to kill each other? I don't know…you tell me. JK JK I do know since I am the author. Oh you know…brotherly love…trying to kill each other…that's what brothers do right? Well darlings, as I said before, review please. Now excuse me, but I must go and brush my hair now so it can flow in the wind. e.o I scare myself…..**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello children! So I'm updating again! Yay! This is gonna be a good one! I think…I don't really know...that shall be up to you! It makes me wonder if you guys actually read this…I hope so…you know I just *tears up* I just put so much work into this little notes…oh no here I go, getting so emotional…just kidding…you hope. Sorry, I'm so very hyper today! Did that even make sense? No, child, no it didn't. Well enough of my crazy talk! Enjoy! :))))**

Ichigo stared at the young girl in the doorway.

"What do you mean you know where Rukia is?" The young girl rolled her eyes at him like he should already know.

"I mean I know where she is," Asa latched onto Ichigo's hand and tried to pull him towards the door, trying not to be afraid of what she saw him to do to the other man. "Come on! We have to go and get her!" She yanked at his hand to no use, he was locked in place.

"Hold on. I have same business to take care of," he said, pointing towards the unconscious Hichigo.

"We don't have time! They'll know by now that I'm gone!" Asa once more tugged on his hand. He seemed absentminded, not realizing that the girl actually knew where Rukia was. He walked into his apartment with Asa following him, still holding his hand.

"Just a minute," he said, flipped out his cell phone and dialing a number. "Renji, yeah I need you over here _now_." He flipped it closed and slipped it back into his pocket. He led the girl into the living room, plopping her down in front of the TV, telling her to stay put.

"Wow! I've never watched TV before!" She exclaimed, captivated by the moving pictures and colors of a kid's network. Ichigo went back into the hallway, retrieved Hichigo, and locked him in a guest room. Renji appeared a few minutes later.

"Watch the girl, she says she knows where Rukia is, I have to deal with Hichigo," Ichigo explained. Renji's eye's bulged out of their sockets.

"Hichigo? What the hell is he doing here? I thought he let when you beat the shit out of him years ago."

"I'll tell you later. Just make sure she stays entertained and doesn't leave, alright?" Ichigo turned to the guest room.

"Aye," Renji replied, walking towards the girl.

Ichigo unlocked the guest room and stepped in. A fist was swung at his face and he easily dodged it. Hichigo gave an estranged laugh and launched himself at Ichigo. Ichigo raised his fist and smashed it into Hichigo's face.

"Stop with the crap Hichigo and answer my question from earlier," Ichigo said avoiding another punch from Hichigo.

"Hmm, my memory seems to fail me. Hehehehehe," Hichigo giggled as he leaped up to kick Ichigo. Ichigo, after years of dodging his demented father's punches and kicks, quickly stopped the kick and flipped Hichigo over his shoulder and into the wall. Piece of cake.

"Well let me refresh it then," Ichigo hissed taking a handful of Hichigo's hair and pulling Hichigo's face close to his. "Why the fuck were you dating Rukia? You knew I liked her!" Ichigo round kicked Hichigo in the gut which would have sent him reeling back if Ichigo didn't have such a strong grip on Hichigo's hair.

"She was a pretty little thing. It was fun to see the little cut and bruises I put on her creamy white skin," Hichigo giggled again. "And to hurt my younger brother. Now _that_ was the best part." He flashed Ichigo his trade mark grin.

"You bastard! I'm gonna kill you!" Ichigo kicked Hichigo's face, but his grin still remained. Oh how he hated that dumbass grin. "You know what. Just get the fuck out before I change my mind not to kill you." Ichigo let go of Hichigo's hair and dropped him to the ground. Hichigo slowly got up and walked out of the room, and to the hallway.

"Hehe. I still don't get why she would go for a nice guy like you. As the song goes, _nice guys finish last, that's why I'll treat you like trash. _Hehehe," Hichigo sprung out of the apartment and down the hall, still singing the famous song off YouTube before Ichigo could get his hands around Hichigo's neck. Huffing and puffing like the wolf from The Three Little Pigs, Ichigo locked the door behind him and went back into the living room. The little girl and Renji were still there, watching a little kid's show or something.

"So, you can tell me where Rukia is?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia smiled as the guard helped her up, the guard not realizing that Asa was gone. They walked back to the servant's dining room together. Rukia finished lunch and was handed a list of chores suddenly given to her because Orhime felt Rukia didn't have enough to do. She was to:

**Clean the bathrooms upstairs**

**Sweep the ballroom floor**

**Polish the silver in the kitchen**

**Clean the dining room again**

**Mop the kitchen floor**

**Fetch the wet laundry and hang it up to dry**

It didn't seem like a lot of work, but there were many bathrooms upstairs, the ballroom was huge, there were many pieces of silver in the kitchen, the kitchen itself was also big, and there was the laundry of the maids and butlers and many others that lived in the household. It took her all day to clean, barked at by many supervisors that she wasn't doing this right or that or she didn't polish the sliver right and had to do it again. She felt exhausted by the time the dusk appeared. She suddenly remembered that at night she was suppose to stay with Asa for a little bit in the night since Asa was deathly afraid of the dark, and then they would figure out that she was missing. She knew she would be questioned about Asa's mysterious "disappearance". So she walked to Asa's room, pretending that she thought Asa would be in there.

"Ah!" She screamed. Several people answered to her screams, asking what was wrong. "Asa's not here! In fact, I haven't seen her since lunch!" The short man appeared and escorted her to her room, saying that they would need her in a little bit. Then he scurried off to inform Lady Inoue of the disappearance of one of her maids. Lady Inoue would not be happy at all. No no. Especially since lunch really was the only time someone forced to work here could escape. They told all the other maids that worked for pay that the guards were there for security reasons and security reasons only. Haha, what a lie. Though, they believed them.

Rukia waited in her room. A sot knock was heard at her door. She got up and opened the door.

"Yes, I already told you, let's go now," Asa jumped off the couch and led them to the elevator. When they got off, she was prepared to lead them the way she got here.

"Wait, why don't we take my car?" Ichigo suggested and the trio went to the underground parking garage and piled into his blue, 2010 Toyota Prius. Asa told them the way she got to the upper, richer part of town. They followed her instructions and ended up on an old, abandoned dirt road. She then proceeded to get out of the car and show them the way she came on foot.

"And how about we follow the road instead of walking, okay?" Ichigo said. She agreed and Ichigo drove down the road, ending up at a big, sparking white mansion.

"We're here," Asa said.

**Done! Boo-yah! :D So you likey? Me want to know. Very badly. Maybe. IT was kinda long to me but oh well. Oh yeah the song, Nice Guys is amazing and I had to include it. Cuz you know, Hichigo's the bad boy and Ichigo is kinda the nice guy. I thought it was perfect for the moment. IT's by Ryan Higa, on NigaHiga YouTube channel. It's amazing and it's got Asians in it. XD Who doesn't love Asians? Asian haters that's who… Well review because I love it when people review :))) Thanks for reading darlings! Now I must go watch some funny Asians! Bye Bye. **


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys. I say that every time, geez. Well, here I am again, updating because all my friends are gone. *sad face* No literally, they're all gone. They're all on vacation without me. :'( I feel so unloved… I mean, I could fit in a suitcase if I tried right? Maybe, just maybe. It's not my fault that I'm as short as Rukia. Hmp. Enough of my silliness. Enjoy as always. Smiley face as always…**

"We're here," Asa said, opening the car door and closing it quietly. It was getting dark out.

"We should have just waited for the next day, at lunchtime. There are no guards guarding the door at lunchtime," Asa observed.

"Well, we could use the darkness as our cover," Renji suggested. Ichigo agreed and stashed his precious car in the woods. They were going to walk the rest of the way, so the guards didn't get suspicious of a car and know what's going on. Walking quietly, they reached the mansion in no time and arrived at the front doors. Seemed easy enough to get inside. The only problem was the guards.

"Renji, go ring the doorbell. Say you need to talk to Orhime or something," Ichigo whispered.

"What me? Why me?" He protested.

"Because I can't. Asa can't. You use to be her boyfriend. Come up with an excuse." Renji sighed and then marched up the steps, ringing the doorbell. Ichigo slid up to the side of the doors. Asa was to hide in a bush and ran back to the car in case something went wrong.

A butler answered the door and permitted Renji in. Ichigo stuck his foot out, stopping the door from fully closing and locking. He slid in and looked around. First floor, two doors down from a pink door to the right. Asa had told him what room was Rukia's. He hustled down the corridor, trying to find the pink door. Two lefts and then a right, she had told him. He turned left into another hall and took another left at the end of the hall. A right now. He and spotted the pink door a little further down. He stopped in front of the pink door and headed right, two doors down. He knocked softly.

* * *

Rukia heard a soft knock and got up to open the door. She knew that it just had to be Orhime or someone to come and fetch her to be questioned about Asa's disappearance. She opened the door with dread. And there stood the brightest orange-haired buffoon ever.

"Ichigo-"she was interrupted as Ichigo put a hand over her mouth. He put a finger up to his lips and motioned for her to follow him. She followed him, thanking the stars that Asa had found him. She wasn't so sure that Asa would have found him considering she was only 6 ½. But she did! Rukia smiled to herself as she quietly followed Ichigo. He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the wall. Someone was clicking their shoes down the hallway they were about to turn. The man didn't notice them as he turned around the other corner across from them. Ichigo led them to the front door before they were spotted.

"Hey you! Stop right now!" A servant yelled. They broke into a door as they burst through the front door, Asa appearing out of the bush behind them.

"Shit, Renji's still in there! Of course I don't get spotted going in, but out!" Ichigo cursed as he ran to the car hidden in the woods. Suddenly, a red-haired idiot appeared out of the car.

"Sorry, Ichigo, but I left a little early," Renji said, trying to grin a little. What a fail Renji.

A voice yelled something, but Ichigo started the car and sped down the road before the goons could realize they already left. Rukia sat in the backseat with Asa, a mess. She had a million questions zooming in and out of her head and she was getting a horrible headache. What if they caught up? What if Orhime came back? What if she hurt some of her friends? What if the other servants who were forced to work there were punished? How was she going to tell Ichigo and Renji that it was Orhime that kidnapped her? And it was Orhime that poisoned the tea? And that Orhime wanted Ichigo all for herself? What if Orhime tried some other way to kill here? What if what if what if… Rukia squeezed her eyes shut and pulled her legs up on the seat, resting her aching head on her knees. Her head hurt so much.

Asa had fallen asleep and Renji was about to pass out in passenger seat. Ichigo focused on driving and telling himself he was _not_ seeing headlights behind him. He pressed the gas harder with his foot, going over 100 miles per hour. Renji was snapped out of his almost-sleep state and stared at the speedometer.

"Holy shit Ichigo. You might want to slow down when we get to the city. Which we will in three...two…," Renji counted down. Ichigo hadn't noticed that the city was so close. He released some pressure off the gas petal and slowed down to the speed limit stated on a sign. Renji let out a puff of air he was holding in and relaxed a bit.

"Hey, Renji. What did you do inside? And get out so fast?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh I just told them I needed to speak with Orhime about you and they let me right in. Then, when I knew you were in, I asked to go to the bathroom and ran out after a minute," Renji explained. Ichigo nodded and focused on driving again. Soon enough, they arrived at Ichigo's apartment building. Ichigo parked in the garage and took the keys out of the ignition. Opening the back door, he lifted a sleeping Rukia out of the backseat. Asa was wide awake then and silently followed Ichigo and Renji. They stepped into the elevator, pressing the Level 30 button, and waited. With a ding, the elevator opened its doors at Level 30 and closed with a _whoosh_ behind them. Ichigo opened the doors to his huge apartment and let everyone in, saying that Renji and Asa could stay the night if they wished. And that they'd find out what happened to Asa's parents in the morning. Renji decided to leave and Asa was going to sleep in one of the guest rooms.

With everything settled, Ichigo bolted the front door shut and slid the chain lock into place. He laid Rukia on the bed and got changed. He laid down next to her and wrapped his arms around her as Leo jumped on the bed and snuggled down between them.

* * *

Orhime screamed. "What do you mean Rukia's gone? You idiots!" She chucked a lamp at one of the men. He ducked fairly easily much to the displeasure of Orhime.

"Someone helped her escape. We're not sure who. They didn't get a good look at the person."

"Well find them! And why the hell did you let Renji in? He's my EX for crying out loud! Go now before I kill you!" Orhime screeched. The five men scurried out into the hall, not wanting to feel Orhime's wrath. Aizen brushed past them and into the room.

"Lady Inoue, may I ask that you not yell? My ears are very sensitive," Aizen asked sitting down in a golden chair.

"Fine," Orhime said through gritted teeth. "Now. Find. Them. Before that bitch gets back to Ichigo." Orhime waved her hand, dismissing Aizen. He stood up and exited, his traditional robes swooshing behind him as he walked.

And he would. He a little trick up his sleeve. And its name was Hichigo.

**Hehehe. He's backkkkk! Hehehe *evil laughter* So how you like? Review my darlings and I might just update again if I get at least 10 reviews. Please. *puppy eyes* No screw puppy eyes. *kitty eyes* What? It works on for Puss in Boots every time! Oh and I'm going to be putting out another story. No, not Ichiruki…I'm sorry. :p It's going to be for my favorite book series, Warriors. If you like Warriors, check it out after I post it. Thanks darlings. See you later!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Aw, you guys are so nice. I got like 20 reviews yesterday. But I meant to put I'll update as soon as I can if I get 10 reviews but I guess my fingers have a mind of their own and typed what they typed. This is kinda going to be a relaxing, non-eventful chapter…I hope. Well, enjoy :)) **

Rukia woke up in the middle of the night. Ichigo's arms were around her while Leo was sleeping on her chest. She groaned. She _hated _waking up in the middle of the night. Even since she was little, she was deathly afraid of the dark. And she still was. But she never told anyone. Especially Byakuya. Whatever she was afraid of, for example spiders, he made her face it. Even though, in the end, she wasn't afraid of her fear anyone, she was frightened of telling Byakuya about being scared of the dark. What if he locked her in a dark room to rid her of her fear? As a little child, she did not want to be stuck in a dark room for an hour. It wasn't just the dark itself, but what lurked in its shadows. Monsters and psycho-killers. One too many times had Byakuya left the TV station on a crime show with little Rukia watching. She had used a nightlight for years, telling Byakuya that she only needed it to find her way to the bathroom if she had the urge to go in the middle of the night. Ichigo didn't have a nightlight.

Chills went up Rukia's spine as she shut her eyes, desperately trying to fall back asleep. A creak made her eyes snap open. She scooted closer to Ichigo and held tightly onto his arm. Did she see something moving? A shadow moving? She was sweating now, a cold, sticky sweat, and her little heart was thumping. She could have sworn she felt something, or someone, touch the end of the blanket she was under. She began to breathe rapidly, her heart racing, as she hid her face in Ichigo's chest. She almost screamed when something touched her face, but stopped herself when she realized that it was just Leo's tail. He seemed to sense she was distressed and moved himself up and onto the pillow by her head. He licked her forehead for good measure and closed his eyes, purring. She felt calmed by his purring and relaxed a little. Though, she was still on high alert. Buildings creak a lot. Don't they? She thought as she heard more creaks. Then she imagined she heard muffled footsteps on the carpet. Oh great, it must be a murder or one of Orhime's guards or someone here to take me back or kill me, Rukia thought, becoming more scared every minute. Rukia stayed wide awake through the whole night, not getting a wink of sleep.

Ichigo yawned and opened his eyes. Rukia was curled up in his arms. Literally. Her knees were up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. She felt tense. It was still dark out. He glanced at his alarm clock. It was only 5 in the morning. Maybe he could go back to sleep. But sleep would not come to him. He gently removed his arms from around Rukia and sat up. Stretching, he rolled out of bed and yawned again. Rukia was still curled up. He leaned over her, and looked at her face upside down. She eyes were wide open and had a tint of fear in them. She did not respond to Ichigo looking at her, she only stared at the wall.

"Rukia? What's wrong?" Ichigo asked, walking over to her side of the bed. She yanked the covers over her head. She wasn't scared of the darkness under the covers, no. She didn't know why. She trembled under the covers, wishing the sun would come out already. During the night, she had been too scared to get up and turn on a light. She wanted to, but was too chicken.

"Rukia?" Ichigo asked again, turning on the lamp that was on his nightstand. She snapped out of her trance and sat up. She was beyond tired.

"Yes," she said.

"Nothing," he got up and went out of the bedroom. Rukia followed, trying not to look tired. She paused by the guest bedroom and looked in. There was a note in poor handwriting on the bed.

_Dear Rukia,_

_Don't worry about me. When you find this note, I'll be gone. I think I remember who my parents are and I'm going to find them. I have money, so don't worry about that either. If I need your help, I know where to go. Please don't try to find me. I'll be fine, really. And thanks for everything. I'll miss you._

_Love, Asa._

She's gone? Rukia ran to the kitchen, note in hand.

"Ichigo," she panted, still tired and out of breathe, "Asa left. She's gone." Ichigo looked up from his eggs.

"She's gone?" He asked.

"Yes, she's gone. She says she knows who her parents are and is going to try and find them!" She stopped when the Ichigo's cell phone rang. He answered it.

"Hello? Kiske? Yeah. Ok," he said. He talked for a while before hanging up.

"That was Urahara. Asa went to him. Apparently he knew her parents and she remembered him. She parents weren't dead after all. He said that the parents are gonna stop by his place and pick her up," he said.

"Oh," Rukia said. Well at least Asa got to go back to her family. And she would be safe. Rukia wasn't so sure about herself. Orhime knows where Ichigo lives and probably where he goes to work. What day was it? Rukia looked at the fridge where a mini calendar was on. It said Friday, December 18th. Wait! That meant…Rukia counted the days in her head. 13 days until Christmas!

"Ichigo. Did you know there's only 13 days until Christmas?" Rukia asked, looking at him. He paused from his cooking. Shit, he had forgotten all about Christmas until now. That meant he would be going over to her father's in 13 days.

"No, I didn't. But now I know. Which means, I need to go Christmas shopping," he said, returning to cooking breakfast. "How about we go after breakfast?" Rukia nodded, feeling bad that she wouldn't be spending Christmas with her Nii-sama. He laid out two plates and scooped pancakes, eggs, and bacon on both plates. They ate quickly and silently. Rukia got dressed into a blue sweater and blue jeans. Ichigo just threw on a random shirt and jeans. While Rukia feed Leo really quickly, Ichigo talked on the phone to his boss, getting his Christmas vacation a day early. Down they went to the parking garage and into his car. He drove them to the same mall as last time.

They walked in and Ichigo stopped at a store filled with toys.

"For my sisters," he said sheepishly. Rukia looked around while Ichigo grabbed toys for his sisters. She didn't notice him slip in a few Chappy items into the basket he was holding as he checked out. They spent the rest of the morning going in all kinds of shops. At lunch time they sat down in the mall cafeteria eating from McDonald's. Rukia got a Happy Meal and Ichigo just got a hamburger. Rukia's meal included a toy which she was happy with. It's called a Happy Meal for a reason…

They soon left the mall and back for home. When they got home, Rukia set out to find Christmas decorations, determined to make the apartment more "Christmassy". She managed to find a few Christmas lights and arranged them around the fireplace. By then, she was feeling more then exhausted. With a fire going, she laid down on the floor, feeling asleep instantly. Ichigo noticed how fast she could fall asleep as he picked her up and brought her into the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and went back out onto the living room.

He went in the closet and produced wrapping paper and tape. He brought out the bags filled with the presents. He set to wrapping all them up. In the end, a good portion had the name Rukia on them. He hid them in the closet and sighed. He knew sooner or later he was going to have to introduce his family to Rukia but not now. What if she tells the way they…er...'met'. As in him technically kidnapping her and keeping her here. But she could have escaped anytime. Maybe she wanted to stay here? Ichigo sighed again and got up from the floor. He dug around in a drawer for awhile. Finally he found what he was looking for. Walking back to the bedroom, he found Rukia still sound sleeping soundly. After awhile of thinking today, he had figured out why she had stayed awake the whole night last night.

He found an outlet and plugged the old nightlight in. It gave off a weak light, but hopefully was enough light for Rukia to see if she woke up in the middle of the night again. He had figured out she was scared of the dark when she acted so weird when it was pitch dark out, but acted normally when he turned the lamp on. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. If only sleep could come to him as easily it came to Rukia.

**You like? There shall be more action in the next chapter, I promise. I kinda liked this chapter because it was sweet. :D So review my darlings! Please…I'll give you…a…umm…I'll give you…an imaginary unicorn! I have one. His name is Bob. He's getting married this June. Yup. Except I had to invite stupid Nyan Cat because he and Bob are "besties" now. Stupid Nyan Cat. Well BYE! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys. Sorry I haven't updated as fast as I usually do. I have surgery on my nose and I really didn't feel up to writing and typing after. :p And I have not gotten any sleep these past four days so I'm wiped out. Anyways, this is kind of another relaxing chapter...probably. Hehe. Well enjoy! :)) **

Ichigo sighed and glared at his cell phone. He picked it up and dialed a number. Holding it up to his ear, he paced around the living room. The other end picked up.

"_Why son! You have finally called your old man!" _Ichigo's father screamed into his ear through the cell phone. Ichigo held the cell phone a little ways from his ear.

"Yeah. For Christmas-"Ichigo was cut off.

"_Christmas is almost here! Are you still going to come up this year? You better!" Isshin said._

"I will. That's what I'm calling about. You don't mind if I bring my…my girlfriend right?"

"_Oh Ichigo has a girlfriend? I always thought you were gay son! With those tight pants and all…" Isshin mumbled._

"Oh shut up! Can I bring her?" Ichigo growled into the phone. Why did everyone think he was gay? So what if his pants werea little tight…

"_Of course you can! Ooohh I better go tell Karin and Yuzu! Karin! Yuzu! Ichigo's got a girlfriend!" _Ichigo hung up on his father and flipped his cell phone shut. He looked up at the clock and saw it was almost 10 am. _Damn. Rukia's still not awake. _He thought to himself.

Ichigo walked to the bedroom door and peeked his head in. Rukia was still fast asleep, her chest rising and falling every few seconds. He sat on the bed and started to play with her locks of hair. She finally began to wake up and stretched her arms as her eyes fluttered open.

"Hey. We're going to be going to my dad's on Christmas. So we'll have to leave tomorrow…I kinda live far away from him. And I know this is short notice…very short notice actually," Ichigo said. He'd have to call the airport today to get the tickets. He already had the tickets on hold, but he needed them before they left.

"Where does your dad live?" Rukia asked while yawning. She sat up.

"Well…right now he lives in America," Ichigo said.

"America? But that's so far away! And…and the plane tickets would cost a fortune!" Rukia stammered.

"I know. But my old man is paying for it…remember? He got rich after a lottery ticket. And his product in America is a big hit," Ichigo said.

"What product?"

"Eh. You'll find out later. Now we should start packing a little today. And pack some of your warmer clothes too. It's cold where he lives."

"Where does he live in America?"

"Wisconsin."

"Oh." Rukia's fingers played with her hair, twisting her locks. She was still tired and laid back down on the bed and watched Ichigo start to pack. After five minutes, he had already filled one suitcase and was working on another. _How many things did he need to pack? _Rukia thought.

Rukia closed her eyes again, not meaning to, and fell asleep again. She was just so tired. Ichigo saw that she had fallen back asleep and started to pack for her. He didn't know how long they would be at his dad's so he packed extra clothes. Heck they could be at his dad's for a week. It all depended on how long his dad wanted them to stay.

Ichigo quickly packed, filling three suitcases. He stashed the suitcases by the front door. Now all he needed to do was get the plane tickets. They were taking a plane to from Japan (where they are) to the UK and then taking a plane from the UK to New York and taking a plane from New York to Illinois. After they got to Illinois, he dad would meet them there and drive up them up to Madison, Wisconsin, where he lived.

They spent the rest of the day getting ready to leave tomorrow morning and picking up the tickets.

"Wait! Who's going to take care of Leo?" Rukia realized that so far no one was going to take care of her little kitten.

"We can bring him with. It's only a small fee to take him aboard," Ichigo replied tucking the plane tickets he had gotten earlier into an envelope.

"But the cargo hold is freezing! He could die in there! Shouldn't we just leave him here and let Renji take care of him? Rukia fretted. She scooped up Leo and held him against her chest.

"Oh he's not going in the cargo hold like most pets. We can take him on the plane with us as in you can hold him in your arms the whole trip. Well in the cage," Ichigo said, not looking up.

"But how? I thought you weren't allowed to have animals on board the plane unless they are in the cargo hold?"

"I have connections. Don't worry about it. I have it set up. He'll get a tiny litter box too so he won't crap in the cage. Oh and food and water. As I said before; don't worry. I have it taken care of." Rukia was stunned. _He really went though all that trouble just to make sure I could bring Leo with? Wow…_ She wrapped her tiny arms around his waist.

Ichigo stopped what he was doing. Rukia was _hugging _him? He felt her tiny arms wrap around his waist.

"Thank you," she whispered. She let go of him and returned to playing with Leo. Ichigo stared at her for a minute or two before also going back to what he was doing. They spent the day like this and soon it was late at night. Rukia was getting sleepy. She slipped into her pajamas and got under the covers. Of course she instantly fell asleep. Ichigo soon went to bed after her, wanting enough sleep because they were leaving early in the morning to catch their flight.

_Ring! Ring! Ring! _The alarm buzzed at 7 am. Ichigo fumbled around and smashed his fist onto the off button. Mumbling, he stumbled out of bed rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Rukia was not awaken by the alarm clock and still slept peacefully. He poked her back, trying to wake her up. She groaned and turned her back to him. He gently shook her shoulders. She grumbled and forcefully opened her eyes. Ichigo leaned back and started to change. Rukia closed her eyes again, not wanting to get up.

"Come on, Rukia. You can sleep on the plane flight," Ichigo said. Rukia grudgingly got out of bed. She randomly picked out a shirt and pair of jeans and went into the bathroom to change. She changed quickly and went back into the bedroom searching for her coat. She found it and put it by Leo's carrier so she wouldn't forget it. She picked up Leo from the bed and ushered him into his carrier. He meowed in protest, but, being a kitten, found a warm spot in the blanket that was on the floor of the cage and settled down. Purring, Leo fell asleep as Rukia shut the cage down quietly and put the locks in place.

Rukia eat a hasty breakfast, nervous. She had never been on a plane before, let alone three in a row.

They both shoved their coats on after breakfast and hustled out the door with the suitcases and Leo. Ichigo got his car started and helped Rukia put the suitcases in the trunk. And off they were! It was at least a 30 minute ride to the airport. Rukia was reading a book while Ichigo was driving. They got to the airport soon and got checked in. Immediately they were boarded onto the plane with Leo. They sat down in their seats, Leo's carrier by Rukia's feet.

"It's going to be a long plane trip to the UK," Ichigo said out of the blue. Rukia nodded her head. Already she wanted to sleep, but she couldn't; she was too nervous. The intercom came on, the pilot saying they were about to take off. Rukia subconsciously grabbed onto Ichigo's arm as the plane started to move.

"We're not even in the air yet. Calm down, Rukia," Ichigo chuckled as Rukia's grip on his arm got tighter as the plane began to move faster and faster. And in a moment they were in the air. Higher and higher. Rukia didn't even notice that much. She calmed down a bit and peered out the airplane window. They were high up. She could see the clouds. How different they looked from higher up. She looked out the window for some time, Ichigo reading a magazine the flight attendant provided. Rukia's eyelids started to become heavier and heavier after the first hour or so. Finally, she passed out; her head slumped against Ichigo's shoulder. Ichigo made himself comfortable and kept reading the magazine. After what seemed forever, the intercom crackled on and the pilot announced they were going to land in a minute. Ichigo poked Rukia awake. She yawned and sat up. They buckled their seatbelts and prepared for landing. Rukia clung onto Ichigo's arm again, not realizing she was, as they landed.

They stepped off the plane and onto the covered walkway to the airport. Once again they got their bags checked and were boarded on another plane, but this plane ride wasn't as long as the other. And, again, they settled themselves on the plane. Rukia was wide awake for this one and simply looked out the window the entire time, lost in her thoughts. Ichigo read a manga that was popular back in Japan.

Finally, they reached New York. The plane trip from New York to Illinois was not supposed to be more than two hours. And, for the third time, they boarded the plane and set off to Illinois. After a brief flight, they arrived at the airport in Illinois and waited for Ichigo's father.

Isshin found the two waiting by a pretzel shop.

"Oh Ichigo! Is this your lovely girlfriend?" Isshin shouted and ran forward. Two girls followed him.

"Oh please, dad. Don't embarrass them. Or yourself for matters," the dark haired girl mumbled. The light brown haired girl ran up to Rukia and hugged her.

"Hello! My name is Yuzu! Pleased to meet you," Yuzu added, "oh and this is my sister Karin." Karin nodded at Rukia before wandering out of sight mumbling that she couldn't be seen with that "idiot dad of hers". Rukia blushed as she heard Isshin call her lovely. After they found Karin, all of them headed out to Isshin's car.

"Do you really think we can all cram in there?" Ichigo sighed. Of course his dad had to pick one of the smallest cars in America. What was it called again? Smart car right? Like he cared.

"Of course! You dare to insult your father's knowledge!" Isshin cried out.

"Yes your knowledge of what? Knowing we can't all fit in this tiny car?" Ichigo growled.

"Oh why is my son so mean to me?" Isshin cried out again as he tripped and fell face first into the car.

"Idiot…" Karin mumbled.

"Well it looks like Rukia-san could sit on your lap…," Isshin wriggled his eyebrows up and down until Ichigo smacked him in the face.

"You better get use to him being like this all the time," Ichigo said to Rukia who was blushing madly at Isshin's last remark.

"I hope so," she replied. They all crammed into the tiny car, Isshin and Karin up front, Yuzu and Ichigo in the back with Rukia sitting awkwardly on Ichigo's lap.

"Get comfortable kiddies, it's gonna be a long drive. Oh and Rukia-san keep your head down. I don't want to get a ticket for having more people in the car than it can hold," Isshin giggled.

**Omg…my head hurts…AGH! Well I hoped you liked it because I just spent the past few hours (9:05 am to 2:49 pm) with breaks of course, typing this. :p Man am I tired. And hungry. Hmm what should I eat? I think I'll have something with Mexican cheese on it. Hehe. Oh and I'm going to be evil again! No update until me has 15+ review. *nods head up and down* Oh and please ignore my grammar mistake that just happened. But yeah, I would love 15+ reviews…just because I'm evil. No, not just because of that. I'm review deprived…maybe. Well review darlings! :D Oh and was this chapter long or short? I shall not judge how long it is myself because…I'm lazy. Well (insert my name here) is out! Oh wait you don't know my name. Mahahahahaha Evil laughter man! Well now I say bye. BYE! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello! Yeah so I got this done faster than I expected. Yep. So it's Christmas! In the story… not in real life. Though that would be awesome. Maybe it can be Christmas in Narnia? Who knows? I mean Aslan could be all like hmm…I want it to be Christmas and POOF! It's Christmas. Sorry, I'm trying to calm myself down with soft music. By Robert Pattinson! Oh yeah he's awesome to me you haters. :D Well enjoy as always. **

Yuzu stuck her fingers into Leo's carrier, petting him through the wire. Leo purred loudly. _Lucky, Rukia thought. At least he has enough space in his cage while I'm squished into the backseat on Ichigo's lap. _There was at least 30 more minutes until they arrived at Isshin's house. Rukia peered out the car window to see snow gently swirling in the chilly wind. Sighing, she leaned back on Ichigo, resting her head on his chest. He stirred a little before becoming still again. But soon enough they arrived at Isshin's home and they immediately piled out, stretching their legs.

"Of course you have to get the smallest car in America," Ichigo complained as he stretched his leg muscles. "I had this midget on me the whole ride." Rukia turned around to give him a quick glare. She carefully picked Leo's carrier off the floor of the car. Yuzu bounced up to her.

"Oi! Rukia-san, I would be happy to take Leo inside for you," Yuzu said. Rukia nodded her thanks and put the carrier in Yuzu's little arms. Yuzu hustled inside, telling Leo how he would love their house and how she had even made a house of his own out of cardboard boxes when she heard that he was coming with her brother and his new girlfriend. Rukia smiled and then grabbed a suitcase out of the incredibly tiny trunk.

"Come on," Ichigo said, leading her inside and closing the door behind them. Rukia glanced around the house. It wasn't big or fancy. More like homey. Not what she expected after Ichigo told her that his father was rich. Yet, she liked the feel of the home. It felt wide and open and welcoming. Almost like the house of the Cullen's in one of her favorite book series, _Twilight_. Expect the house occupants were not vampires. She was pretty sure of this.

Setting down the bag she was holding, she told a step more inside. A beautiful Christmas tree was set up in a corner of the living room, its lights twinkling and shinning. Ichigo picked up the bag she set down and carried it upstairs. She hesitated before following him silently. He stepped into a room and she followed him inside.

"This is all my old stuff before I moved out you know," he said, aware that she had been right behind him.

"Oh," was all she said. There was an old bed lined up with a wall and a book self lined with books of all sorts by a huge glass window. She didn't realize he liked to read that much. A closet was on another wall by a desk.

"So you'll be staying in here?" Rukia asked, still looking about his room.

"We both will. There are only three bedrooms in the entire house. One for my old man, one for the girls to share, and this one," he said while shoving their suitcases in the closet. Rukia nodded. Since it was both of their bed, Rukia suddenly leaped in the air and landed on the bed. Ichigo gave her a what-the-fuck look.

"What the hell?" is what he said though. "You know you can act like a complete kid at some points." Rukia stuck her bottom lip out to pout.

"So?" she said. She decided to change before he answered. It was quite random. So she went into the closet and changed into another pair of jeans and a plain shirt since she had been wearing the same clothes for quite some time now.

"Nothing," he said after she appeared again and headed back downstairs even though he really wasn't in the mood to deal with his dad. Rukia followed him again.

Yuzu was in the living room showing Leo his "house" and telling him all about the features it had including a litter box and food and water dishes. Karin was flipping through a magazine while Isshin sat on the couch next to her complaining how he was bored and that his children never listened to him anymore.

"If you're so bored old man then let's go somewhere," Ichigo said rubbing the back of his head.

"Like where?" His father said.

"Oh! I know! Let's go to the Children's museum*! It's somewhere here in Madison! You can make crafts and go in the hamster wheel and everything!" Yuzu said excitedly, her eyes shinning with hope. Ichigo nodded his head in agreement. He had never been there before, but it sounded like fun. For Yuzu and Karin. Heck even Rukia since she acted like a kid a lot.

"Alright! Let's go! I call the hamster wheel first!" Isshin screamed as he jumped up from the couch and for the door. Karin rolled her eyes as she and Yuzu grabbed their coats and followed Isshin. Ichigo and Rukia followed them out into a second car Isshin owned. Thankfully, it was a bit bigger so they all fit. The museum was in the downtown part of Madison so they had to park the car by a meter and put in a few coins.

Together, including Isshin, they all walked _calmly _inside. Isshin paid for all of them as an extra "present". Like he didn't spoil the twins enough. Inside Rukia was enchanted. There was a human-sized hamster wheel upstairs and a mini indoor playground and so much more. As soon as they were given wristbands, Isshin let out a whoop and ran towards the stairs to the hamster wheel.

"Well we better follow him so he doesn't get into a fight with a toddler of who gets to go in the hamster wheel first again," Karin sighed as she and Yuzu tailed their father. Rukia looked all around. She didn't know what she wanted to do first. Then she spied a playground of some sort. You climbed inside it and up until you got to the top and then you went down the big slide.

"Ichigo I want to go there first!" she said and ran towards it. Ichigo sighed and followed her. There was no way in hell he was going in that thing.

Soon Ichigo found himself cramped in the tunnel after Rukia, some kid poking him in the butt telling him to go faster. Rukia climbed up the tunnel and into a metal cage thing where you waited until the person in front of you went down the slide. It was fairly small to Ichigo as he leaned his head down trying not to hit it on the roof.

"Damn. Did you have to pick the smallest thing you could fit me in?" Ichigo said to Rukia. She climbed up onto the slide part before turning to him.

"Yes, yes I did. And watch your mouth. We are in a public place with children." And with that she pushed herself down the slide with a _whoosh._ Ichigo groaned as he laid down in the slide fully like he was on a body slide so he wouldn't get stuck. He painfully went down the slide, having to scoot out at the end. Rukia waited at the bottom for him. As soon as she saw him, she took off. He tried to keep up with her as she raced towards the hamster wheel like her life depended on it. He caught up to her just as the attendant was speaking to her.

"You must be accompanied by an adult at all times, miss," he said, casually leaning on the railing.

" But I am an adult! I'm 19!" she argued.

"I'm sure you are," he said rolling his eyes. Rukia saw Ichigo and motioned him forward.

"Ichigo tell him that I really am 19!" she ordered. "I'm just short!"

"She is. But she probably still needs an adult with her," Ichigo said almost laughing. He bit his tongue to stop himself.

"Oh you be quiet," Rukia said as she pulled Ichigo into the hamster wheel with her. The attendant got the wheel going. Rukia bent over like a hamster and started to run. Ichigo walked. Oh how funny they must of looked. Finally they stopped and hopped out. In which at that point Rukia ran off again. This time she went in the art and craft section.

Ichigo caught up with her again. She walked into the craft room and sat down at a table. There was paper and markers in the middle of the table for everybody to share. A few attendants were at the back of the room talking. They were suppose to "watch and supervise the kids" since most parents fail at doing so.

Rukia grabbed a few colors and began coloring. _Wow. She really does act like a kid. And draws like one too. _Ichigo thought as he looked at what she was drawing. Chappy of course. She finished coloring and shoved the drawing in Ichigo's hands.

"Here, you hold it," she said before, once again, jumping up to find something else. This time she made sure that Ichigo was right beside her as she walked to the elevator. They caught one going down to their level just in time. A few people got out and they got in. She pressed the button labeled RT.

"Where are we going?" Ichigo asked.

"We're going to the roof. Yuzu says that there are animals up there," Rukia stated. They arrived at the rooftop and stepped off the elevator. Ichigo looked around. It was fairly big and in the corner was a small building. Rukia walked towards it, but then stopped and waited for Ichigo. They walked in. Of course Rukia found something to do right away. In the back you could plant flower seeds and decorate your flower pot. Why in the middle of winter? Who knows. Probably something to keep the kids busy. Ichigo leaned on the wall as he watched Rukia listen to the attendant's instructions about how to plant the seed and water it. She then wrote on her flower pot with oil pastels that were handed to her. Ichigo narrowed his eyes and tried to see what she wrote. _Chappy rules!_ What else was he suppose to expect? Though he didn't see what else she had quickly scribbled on her flower pot.

After she was done, she handed the pot to Ichigo and walked over to some cages. In them held lizards. One had chickens. She focused her attention on the cage in the middle of the room. In the cage were little mice. Rukia thought they were almost as cute as bunnies and kittens.

"Would you like to hold one of them?" a woman by the cage asked Rukia. Rukia nodded and held out her hands. "Keep your hands like that and don't be scared. And please don't drop them." The woman took out a light brown mouse and cautiously placed him in Rukia's hands. Rukia's face lit up as the mouse ran up and down on her hands. A smile tugged at Ichigo's lips as he watched her. A few minutes later Rukia handed the mouse back to the woman. They walked out and back to the elevator. They went back to the first floor and just walked around.

Shyly, Rukia slipped her hand into Ichigo's. He pretended not to notice. They walked around until they found Karin and Yuzu trying to pry Isshin off the hamster wheel.

"One more time! Just one more time!" He cried out dramatically as Karin dragged him away.

"Ready to go?" Ichigo asked Yuzu and Karin.

"Yes. I think dad's made a fool out of himself in public enough for one day," Karin said, still dragging Isshin. So they all headed back to the car. It was only 4:30. They had been at the museum since 1:00. Rukia didn't realize that they had spent three and a half hours there. IT sure didn't feel like it.

When they got home, Yuzu started to make dinner. Mac n Cheese, she had told them. Her very own recipe. Rukia had put her flower pot by the sink in the kitchen which had a window in front of it. At 6 o clock they all sat down to Yuzu's Mac n Cheese. It was delicious. For the rest of the night, they all sat down by the fireplace. Leo was in his new "house" that Yuzu made for him. And when the clock struck nine they all started to get ready for bed.

"Don't be making me any grandkids just yet," Isshin accused Ichigo and Rukia pointing a finger at them.

"Dad! Shut the fuck up!" Ichigo yelled at his dad before chucking a random object at him. Isshin ducked under the couch. Rukia had gone upstairs when Isshin started to talk so she didn't hear the whole sentence. She changed into her pajamas and slipped under the warm covers on the bed. But, strangely, sleep did not come to her as it normally would. She stared at the ceiling until Ichigo appeared. He took off his shirt like he does before he goes to bed and exchanged his jeans for comfy shorts. Finally he climbed under the covers with Rukia. She snuggled next to him for warmth. Drowsy, she laid her head on his chest and closed her eyes. And then sleep came to her.

**And it is done! Yes I know I put it up before I got 15 reviews. IT makes me wonder if you people even bother to read the authors note. MAYBE I SHOULD TALK LIKE THIS TO GET YOUR ATTENTION. DO I have it? Good. Oh and I wanted to thank you guys much for reviewing. Like a lot. You guys are awesome. :D Well REVIEW DARLINGS! See? I got your attention again. Hahahaha. Well Bye. And have a nice day. **


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello darlings. Sorry I haven't updated as fast as I usually do. Again. I've just been working on another story. Sorry, but I swear if I did not get at least some of it out of my head, I'm afraid I would have gone insane. I'm going to post it soon, like maybe after I finish this story or after I post a few more chapters of this story. And this was kinda a hasty chapter. Not really satisfied with it, but oh well. Enjoy! (P.S In the last chapter, I forgot to mention it, but The Madison Children's Museum is a real place)**

"It's Christmas!" Yuzu shouted, waking everyone in the house. "Come on hurry up and eat breakfast!" Yuzu had gotten up extra early so she could make breakfast faster.

Ichigo grumbled and opened his eyes. Rukia had closed her eyes again after Yuzu was finished shouting. Ichigo poked her side.

"Wake up. We have to eat soon or else Yuzu might just explode with excitement," Ichigo teased. Rukia mumbled something and turned her back to him. He poked her again. She slapped his hand and sighed. She didn't want to get up.

Ichigo scooped her up since she refused to get up of her own accord.

"Hey!" Rukia yelped as Ichigo picked her up. He smirked and carried her downstairs. "I can walk you know."

"I know. But you wouldn't get up. So I took matters into my own hands," he said dropping her at the table and sitting down himself. Yuzu set a plate of food in front of them and told them to hurry. They quickly devoured the food Yuzu set in front of them much to her delight. Isshin and Karin were already finished and sat in the living room. Ichigo and Rukia joined them.

Rukia wrapped the blanket around her as they watched Yuzu and Karin Isshin's presents for them. Yuzu got a stuffed bunny while Karin got a brand new soccer ball.

"Wow, old man, finally you haven't gotten us something creepy for once," Karin said. Isshin just smiled and handed Rukia a small box.

"Oh you shouldn't have gotten me anything," she said as she tried to push the box away.

"But I did. So just open it," Isshin replied with a goofy grin. Rukia took the box and opened it. In it was a beautiful necklace with a charm that said her name.

"Thank you," she said, taking the necklace out of the box.

The morning passed away with everyone giving each other presents. Rukia received a lot of jewelry. Ichigo got a few shirts. And Yuzu and Karin basically got a bunch of toys. Isshin refused any presents that they tried to give them by throwing them out the window. No one knew that later he went back out and opened them all.

They all ate a wonderful Christmas lunch, made by Yuzu of course. Sadly, Ichigo and Rukia had to leave the same day. They didn't want to, but Ichigo's work had called and needed him back as soon as possible. So at 3 pm, they all said their goodbyes and left after packing everything. Isshin drove them to the airport and they boarded without a problem. They went through all of their flights without a single delay or problem. It was late at night when they arrived at the apartment.

As Ichigo flipped the lights on, the sight greeted them. The apartment was a mess. Chairs flipped over, pots and pans everywhere, drawers' contents spilled on the floor. In the bedroom, Rukia's clothes were strewn everywhere and some where ripped to pieces. Rukia gaped at it with her mouth wide open. Ichigo held onto her tightly in case the intruder was still here. They walked back to the living room to see a pair of feet on the coffee table. A hand waved at them.

"Yo bro and pretty lady. You didn't think I was gone for good, did you?" A voice asked. A very familiar voice. Rukia's eyes widened as the mystery person stood up from the couch and turned around. She yelped and hid behind Ichigo just as he was about to push her behind him.

"Hichigo, I'm going to give you ten seconds to get the fuck out of my house before I kill you," Ichigo said through gritted teeth.

"Aw. Your own brother isn't allowed in your house?" Hichigo pouted.

"Not when you fuck it up!"

"I think you should let me stay."

"And I think you should get out of my house before I fuck up your face."

"Well I don't care what you think."

"Same here. Now get out."

"Make me."

"You really want to go there?"

"I do." With a growl Ichigo launched himself at Hichigo. Hichigo easily avoided it and smashed his foot into Ichigo's face. Ichigo growled again and punched Hichigo in the jaw.

"Get out!" Ichigo almost screamed

"No!" Hichigo yelped as Ichigo's fist connected with his face again. Rukia stared wide-eyed at the two fighting brothers in front of her. She snatched Ichigo's cell phone from the floor and ran towards the bedroom. Hichigo noticed her leaving.

"Aw. Rukia, stay for the fun!" Hichigo whined running after Rukia. Ichigo once again launched himself at Hichigo and grabbed onto his leg, pulling him back. Hichigo slid on the floor, but kicked Ichigo in the face. Ichigo released Hichigo's foot and clutched his face. Hichigo sprinted after Rukia, but she was already in the bedroom, door locked. She pushed up some furniture against the door to stop him in case the lock failed.

Quickly she dialed the emergency number and held the phone to her ear.

"Hello? Yes, I need help! There's someone in our house and he's attacking my boyfriend!" Rukia said into the phone. The woman on the other end said she would send a unit to the house, using the cell phone to track where they were.

Hichigo banged on the locked door. "Oh Rukia!" he sang. "Let me in!" Rukia backed away from the door as Hichigo smashed into it. Then it was quiet. Had Hichigo left? Nope, she quickly though as Hichigo tried to open the now unlocked door, but couldn't because of the chairs she had put in front of it. She ran to the bathroom and locked that door just as Hichigo successfully moved the chairs out of the way and was making his way over to the bathroom.

"Oh Rukia! You can't hide from me!" he sang out. Using the bobby pin he found on the floor, he quickly unlocked the bathroom door. He looked around. Dammit where was she? He noticed a shadow behind the shower curtain.

"Got cha-"he stopped in mid sentence. It was a bunch of towels stacked on top of each other. While he was confused, Rukia snuck out behind him and jumped on his back.

"GAH!" he screamed and tried to swat her off. "Get off me!"

"No!" Rukia tightened her grip around his throat and refused to be pried off his back. His hand tried to push her off, but she snapped at the hand and bit it. He screamed as her teeth drew blood from the bite mark on his hand. Ichigo ran into the bathroom and punched Hichigo in the face again.

"Rukia, get off his back!" Ichigo yelled out, too late as Hichigo fell on his back, squishing Rukia.

Rukia had the breathe knocked out of her as Hichigo landed on his back with her still on it. She tried to push him off, but he was too heavy. Ichigo pushed Hichigo off of her with his foot. Rukia sprang up, panting. Hichigo was heavier then he looked.

They stood there just in case Hichigo regained conscious. Finally, the police arrived and hauled Hichigo off to jail. Turns out, this wasn't his first time in jail. It was his 15th time. Ichigo and Rukia had to speak to the police about what happened and see if anything was missing. So they spent the night and morning cleaning up and making sure nothing was missing. Nothing was, but a few objects, such as a few of Rukia's clothes, were destroyed. Rukia was beyond tired after they finished the last of cleaning up and passed out on the couch. Ichigo was calling his work and trying to keep Leo from climbing on his pants. Leo gave up on trying to get Ichigo's attention and curled up by Rukia as always.

xxxxx

"What do you mean Hichigo's in jail? You said that it would work!"

"I know what I said. Obviously Hichigo wasn't the right person for the job. We will get Rukia away from Ichigo somehow. Don't worry, Orhime."

"You better. I'm losing patience. And time. They already know it's my house that they rescued Rukia from. I need a story. Now go."

"As you wish."

**Yay! 13****th**** chapter finished! :D Well review darlings! Oh and side note, I probably will be uploading my other story and just take turns updating chapters between the two. So please check it out! :D thanks :) **


	14. Chapter 14

**Yay! I updated! :D Thank you all soooo much for the support I got. Many of you PMed me and I'm glad you guys like my so far! I love you guys! Enjoy as always!**

Leo meowed, rousing Rukia out of her slumber. He impatiently meowed again and butted his head against her cheek. A faint smile flickered on Rukia's lips as she got up and yawned. She reluctantly slid out of bed, knowing that there was still a ton of work to do to get the apartment back in order. Even since Hichigo had broken in and trashed the place, Ichigo and Rukia had set to cleaning up the apartment. Which meant getting up early in the morning. And since Ichigo had to go back to work, Rukia was left alone until 6 pm when Ichigo would come back and help her.

Many times Rukia had wondered why she even stayed. She was left alone from 7 am to 6 pm, plenty of time for her to pack a few things and get out. In fact, she was more confused why she had stayed put two days after Ichigo "kidnapped" her. How easy it would have been for her to escape. Ichigo obviously didn't realize this since he left her alone home so many times and a with good amount of time to get far away from his apartment. But something made her stay. Maybe it was Ichigo's kindness and how he showed her his endless love by buying all of these clothes and getting her Leo or how he treated her. Or maybe it was fate. Rukia tired herself by asking all of these questions to no answer she could give herself. One thing Rukia did know was that she was very glad that she stayed with Ichigo. She whittled away her time thinking about all the qualities Ichigo how that every girl wanted in a boy. Good looks, smart, charming, gentle, kind, loving, strong, protective. How in the world did she get herself mixed up with Hichigo?

Rukia shook her head and began to get ready for the day. She picked out a casual outfit and walked out into the living room. Ichigo had already left for work so Rukia started finishing up the living room, making sure all the furniture was in place and not a wisp of dust was left in sight. Ichigo and she had pretty much cleaned up everything already so Rukia was left with nothing to do.

Leo mewled, catching Rukia's attention. He twisted himself around her legs, meowing. He meowed again and ran towards the pantry. Rukia smiled and followed him, picking up a small bag of cat food and pouring some into a white ceramic bowl. He purred before leaning down to chow down.

Rukia fixed herself some eggs and plopped down on the couch in front of the TV. Flipping through the channels, she settled on a Japanese version of Next Top Model.

Her day went by slowly; she was lonely without Ichigo. She missed his company even if there were awkward silences between them a lot. There was just something about him that drew her to him like a moth to a flame.

The doorbell rang and snapped Rukia out of her thinking trance. Quietly, she tipped-toed to the door. _Dammit, _Rukia cursed. She was too short to see through the peep hole. The doorbell rang again, but this time with a voice.

"Kurosaki! I know you're in there! Open the fucking door!" Rukia grabbed a stool from the kitchen and peered through the peep hole. A man with cyan hair stood outside, a hand in his front pocket. A bit of blue eye shadow was at the corner of each eye. _What man wears eye shadow? _Instead of ringing the doorbell again, the man pounded his fist against the door. Rukia double checked to make sure both locks were in place. Certainly he couldn't get through two locks, could he?

"I can fucking hear you moving in there, Kurosaki. You better open the fucking door before I break it open with my fist!" Rukia moved back from the door, frightened. He couldn't force the door open, right? Just to be safe, Rukia pushed a chair in front of the door. Peering in the peep hole again, she could see that the man was still there. _He doesn't give up easily does he? _Rukia thought to herself as the man pounded on the door and rang the bell again and again.

Rukia glanced at the clock and saw it was only 4 pm. Ichigo wouldn't be home for another two hours. Hopefully the man would leave before then. Or not. For the next hour the man rang the bell or pounded on the door. No one complained about the man screaming profanities and pounding on the door to Ichigo's apartment. _When will Ichigo be home? _Rukia sighed as she leaned against the door.

Finally, the clock read 6 pm, much to Rukia's relief. Ichigo would see what the man wanted and why he stayed at the door for two hours straight, pounding and screaming even when no one would answer. It was quiet after five minutes and Rukia heard quiet voices on the other side of the door. The sound of a key being put in the lock could be heard and Rukia froze. What would she say to the man about not answering the door if he happened to be a friend of Ichigo's? What if he wasn't a friend of Ichigo's? Rukia bolted to the only place that she could think of: the bedroom. She shut the bedroom door as quietly as she possibly could. She ran to the bed and threw a few sheets over her to make it look like she had been taking a nap throughout the whole thing.

Footsteps walked towards the bedroom and paused. The person who the footsteps belonged to turned around and headed in a different direction. Rukia let her breath out, not realizing she had held her breath in the first place. For a little while, she could hear talking, none of which she could make out. She hid out under the covers until she was sure the man with crazy hair was gone.

Padding out into the living room, Rukia called out Ichigo's name.

"Rukia? I'm in the kitchen," came his voice. Rukia went to the kitchen and saw Ichigo making dinner.

"Who was the blue-haired man?" she asked, sitting down at the table. Ichigo paused and chuckled.

"That was Grimmjow, one of my friends. I can tell he gave you quite a scare today," Ichigo said, returning to his cooking.

"Scare? He sat at the door for two hours!" Rukia exclaimed. Ichigo laughed.

"He's one of my more…"scary" friends," Ichigo said.

"You think?" Rukia said, laughing. Hearing her laugh, Ichigo smiled like a fool, happy that she seemed happy.

"What did he want anyway?" Rukia asked, becoming more curious after Ichigo looked away.

"Nothing," Ichigo said quickly and tried to change the subject. "So how was your day?"

"It has to have been something if he sat at the door for two hours," Rukia pushed. Ichigo just ignored her and went into the living room to get something. Rukia followed him and watched as he got out a box from the closet. He motioned for her to sit down on the couch. Rukia gave him a puzzled look, but sat down anyways. He set the box on her lap.

"What's this?" Rukia asked as she opened the box. Inside was a bunch of smaller boxes. She carefully opened them one by one until there was only one left. In the others there were a bunch of random Chappy items, but in the last one was different. Rukia opened the last box and in that box was a beautiful, golden chain necklace with a miniature, charm version of Leo.

"Ichigo, you didn't have too. But it's beautiful," Rukia said, admiring the necklace. Ichigo blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. Suddenly Rukia leaped forward and jumped on Ichigo. He was startled and was about to yell when he realized Rukia was hugging him. He smiled at her as she pulled back and carefully placed the necklace back into the box.

"That was why Grimmjow was here you know. To deliver that charm since I had to order it," Ichigo said. Rukia nodded and smiled again. She gathered all the presents and put them in the bigger box, putting the box in the bedroom for safe keeping. They both stayed out in the living room for the rest of the night until it was Ichigo that fell asleep on the couch.

Rukia smiled at Ichigo's sleeping form on the couch and tired to get up. She couldn't because Ichigo's head was on her lap. She didn't want to wake him so she leaned against the couch and closed her eyes, sleep taking over her world.

It was only 9 pm when the doorbell rang followed by a knock. Ichigo had woken up and sat up on the couch. Rukia was still peacefully sleeping. He got up and walked to the door slowly. Who would be here at this hour? Ichigo grumbled as he shuffled to the door. Not looking through the peephole to see who it was, he swung up the door and was beyond shocked at the visitor.

"Why are _you_ here?" Ichigo growled, and tried closing the door. The visitor stopped the door from shutting and walked in like he owned the place.

"Where's Rukia?" The visitor demanded in his cold voice.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Get out before I call the cops," Ichigo hissed as he tried to usher out the unwelcome guest before he saw Rukia. Too late. Rukia stumbled into the hallway, rubbing her eyes like a sleepy child.

"Nii-Sama?"

**YAY! Finally finished it! :DDD So I hope you guys liked it. Sorry about the late update. :P Oh well. REVIEW MY DARLINGS! IF you want to of course…. **

**PS: I'm sorry it was kinda short. I'm trying the make them longer to no avail D: **


	15. Chapter 15

**HEY! Yeah, so hello people of Fan Fiction. :D I give you chapter 15. Enjoy!**

"Nii-Sama? What are you doing here?" Rukia asked, still rubbing her eyes.

"Looking for you," he answered voice cold as ice. "And it seems I have found you."

"Why? Decided that you felt bad after throwing her on the streets in the middle of winter?" Ichigo growled standing in front of Rukia as if to protect her from her own brother.

"The reasons are me for to know and only me. Now Rukia come along. Enough of your childish play," Byakuya said, motioning for her to follow him. Rukia bit her lip and glanced at Ichigo. His eyes were on fire as he directed his menacing gaze at Byakuya. She couldn't leave him.

"No, Nii-Sama. I can't," Rukia said, directing her eyes at the wall behind Byakuya. Byakuya slowly turned himself towards Rukia.

"You will do as I say, Rukia. Now come on. You will no longer stay with this man," Byakuya stepped towards Rukia and Ichigo blocked his way.

"If she doesn't want to, she doesn't have to," Ichigo hissed.

"I don't want to, Byakuya. I'm eighteen anyway. So you cannot tell me what to do any more," Rukia tried to compose herself.

"What has this man done to you? This is not the obedient Rukia I know. You will come with me and stay away from this man. He kidnapped you after all, didn't he?" Ichigo and Rukia gasped at the last part.

"H-h-e saved me! After you threw me out! If he hadn't taken me in I could have died!" Rukia shouted, tears forming at her eyes. Byakuya dismissed the matter as if he didn't care.

"Well I have come to take you back," he said, his patience diminishing.

"No. I've already told you. I'm not going with you," Rukia repeated firmly and grabbed onto Ichigo's hand.

"Even after I got rid of that Orhime girl that had been bothering you?" Byakuya bargained.

"Y-y-you get rid of her?" Rukia stuttered.

"Yes, she's in a prison awaiting trial for kidnapping and being partnered up with an infamous man named Aizen. Now, if you will, come along. I'm sick of this game you're playing," Byakuya stated as he took a few steps to the door before looking back to see if she was following him. She wasn't.

"I still can't. That proves that you have been watching me. And…and," Rukia trailed off. Her eyes dropped to the floor again and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks.

"And what?" It was Ichigo who said this. Rukia turned away, her blush growing brighter every second. Byakuya crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her to say more.

"I-I-I love him," Rukia blushed madly and kept her eyes on her hands as if they were the most interesting thing in the world at the moment.

"You love him?" Byakuya forced the words out of his mouth. Rukia nodded and kept her eyes on her hands. Ichigo was also shocked. He never thought she would say that she loved him. Yeah, he secretly wished that she would have the same feelings for him as he did for her, but he never imagined her ever saying it.

"Yes," Rukia softly said.

"Too bad. A Kuchiki does not love a common man. There are men higher in rank then this man for you to love and marry," Byakuya said, coolly.

"I don't care about rank!" Rukia said.

"Now, get out of my house before I call the cops on you," Ichigo said, lifting a finger to point at the door.

"Who says I have to? Do you know who I am boy? I am Byakuya Kuchiki. I do whatever I want, when I want. And that means I have the right to take my sister home," he said, grabbing a hold of Rukia. Rukia ripped her arm out of his grasp and took a shaky step back. Ichigo looked like he was going to murder Byakuya. He took a menacing step towards Byakuya. He was only an inch taller, maybe more maybe less, but Ichigo used it to his advantage.

"Oh I know who you are. But do you know who I am? Or who my father is?" Ichigo once more growled out the words.

"I don't concern myself with poor people. People like you," Byakuya said coldly.

"Oh so you think I'm poor? Look around, can a poor man afford this kind of apartment? I'm Isshin Kurosaki's son. Heir to all the money he has," Ichigo seemed satisfied as Byakuya's eyes widened a bit, barely enough to notice.

"Still..," Byakuya persisted, his voice a little shaky.

"Still nothing. Rukia doesn't have to go with you if she doesn't want to," Ichigo said.

"Don't think this is over boy. I always get what I want," Byakuya said before turning around and leaving the apartment. Rukia let out her breathe that she hadn't noticed she had been holding.

"What did he mean he always gets what he wants?" Ichigo asked Rukia.

"Well you know how he owns Kuchiki Business Company? He didn't buy it. He had some of his men do the dirty work and 'pursued' people to buy all the stocks and vote for him to take over the company. He's saying that he has ways to get what he wants," Rukia explained. Sighing, she sat back down on the couch and leaned back. Ichigo sat down next to her and put his head in her lap. She began to play with hair.

"Do think he'll have his men come and get you?" Ichigo asked.

"Who knows? Maybe," Rukia sighed again and closed her eyes.

"Well they won't get you. I'll protect you," Ichigo vowed and looked up and Rukia. Rukia smiled and ruffled his hair. He sat up and pulled Rukia close to his chest. Rukia leaned in and closed her eyes, becoming sleepy again. She moved around until she was nestled comfortably on Ichigo's chest, her head tucked right under his. Ichigo played with her hair while Rukia slept. He soon fell asleep.

xxxxx

Rukia woke up to knocking on the door. She rubbed her eyes and stumbled towards the door. Grabbing the stool, she stood on it and peered through the peephole. She gasped and quietly stepped down from the stool and ran towards Ichigo's sleeping form. She prodded him awake. He yawned and sat up.

"They're here!" Rukia whispered. There was a louder knock this time. Ichigo was confused and rubbed the back of his neck. Rukia rolled her eyes and took his hand and led his to the door. She motioned for him to look through the peephole. He looked through the peephole and back at her.

"Who are they?" he asked.

"They're Byakuya's men who do the dirty work!" Rukia whispered. A grim look came across Ichigo's face. He nodded and moved Rukia away from the door. They heard the sound of someone jingling the knob and a silent moment before four men suddenly burst through the door. Rukia yelped and clung onto Ichigo's arm.

"You know why we're here. Hand her over and no one gets hurt," one of the men said.

"Let me think…um…how about…no," Ichigo growled. One of the men gave a signal and two men jumped forward and grabbed a hold of Rukia. She kicked them and wrapped her arms around Ichigo's neck. The other two grabbed a hold of Ichigo and tried to force them apart. Rukia chomped down on one of their arms and started to kick them. They loosened her grip on Ichigo and forced them apart.

"Let me go!" Rukia shouted as two men dragged her away. Two men held Ichigo back.

"If you want her to go unharmed you'll stop boy," the man in the black suit said. Ichigo froze. They dragged Rukia away and pushed Ichigo in the apartment and forced the door closed. Ichigo pounded on the door, but the men were strong and kept Ichigo from getting out while the other two forced Rukia in the elevator and to the car that was waiting outside. At the same moment, both men let go of the door and sprinted to the elevator. Ichigo chased after them, but they got in the elevator and slammed the doors closed with the touch of a button. Ichigo slammed into the elevator door and punched it. He ran down the stairs and made it to the parking lot just to see the car drive out of sight and get lost in the traffic. He silently screamed at himself.

"I'll find you Rukia! I'll find you!" He yelled above the noise of traffic.

xxxxx

Rukia was pushed into the room and the door locked behind her. She banged on the door and screamed that they let her go. Getting no answer, she sighed and sank to the floor. Drawing her knees up to her chest, she began to softly cry. She just wanted to go back to the apartment with Ichigo. Of course Byakuya had to come along when everything was going fine. Her life just had to be screwed up in as many ways as possible. Well fuck her life.

Rukia stood up and collapsed back down on her bed in her old room that she used when she lived with Byakuya. There was a knock on her door and a young maid appeared.

"Miss Rukia, Byakuya would like a word with you," she said, timidly.

"Well tell him I'm never speaking to him again," she added, "and that I want to push him down a deep well so he'll never see sunlight again." The young maid had a frightened look and she bowed her head and closed the door making sure to lock it.

Rukia sighed and picked up a pillow. Pressing it to her face, she screamed as loud as she could. But no one ever heard it.

**Hope you liked it! ANd I think there will only be two or three more chapters! I finally figured out what I wanted to do with this story! I put out a new story today called, _Mine and only_ Mine. Check it out! REVIEW MY DARLINGS!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry I haven't updated as early as I usually would! My computer broke so I got a new laptop! Well I hope you guys like this chapter!**

Rukia groaned and rubbed her eyes. At first, she thought she was in their bed, and Ichigo had left to go to work, but these sheets were a dull purple, not white. This wasn't Ichgio's bedroom, but the bedroom she had grown up in. Finally, she remembered what happened. She sat ridge on her old bed. A look of anger came across her face as she remembered how Byakuya had forced her to come back with him. Well he didn't, his men did. She huffed in anger and about snapped when she heard a knock on the door. A maid walked in and said that Byakuya requested her presence.

"No. I refuse to see him," Rukia stated and crossed her arms.

"He was afraid you'd say that," the maid said and opened the door all the way to reveal one of Byakuya's bodyguards standing there. Rukia growled, but hopped out of bed, smoothing yesterday's wrinkled clothes. She glared at the bodyguard and the maid as they led her down the familiar hall to Byakuya's office. The guard opened the door and ushered her in.

"You wanted to see me?" she hissed at the man behind the desk. His eyes fluttered up to look at her before going back to whatever he was doing.

"Yes. Everything is how it was left in your room I assume? That doesn't matter anyway. I'm relocating us somewhere far away from here," Byakuya picked up a pen and started to write.

"What?! What do you mean you're 'relocating us'?! I'm not going _anywhere_!" she raised her voice, her face a palate of emotions.

"It's exactly what I mean. We're going somewhere far away form that man, Ichigo," Byakuya explained, never looking up from his work.

"I refuse! This is…this is kidnapping! I'm eighteen, almost nineteen! You can't tell me what to do anymore!" Rukia yelled. Byakuya glared at her for yelling.

"You _will_ do as I say. I do not care how old you are. I promised Hisana that I would take care of you and I will," Byakuya stood up and glared at her again.

"Well I doubt Hisana would want you to do this!" Rukia shouted.

"Don't tell me what Hisana wants and doesn't want. I knew her better than you ever would," Byakuya kept his voice as cool as possible.

"I will! She was MY sister! MY sister!" Rukia sobbed, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. Byakuya sat back down and ignored her sobbing.

"Go. Just go now. I have nothing more to say to you," Byakuya dismissed her.

"No. I'm not done yet. Let me go now. Or do you plan to keep me locked in my room for the rest of my life?" Rukia growled.

"I said I am done talking. Now go back to your room," Byakuya dared to raise his voice. Rukia huffed and twirled around, slamming his office door behind her. The guard followed her as she walked to her room. She closed the door in his face, hearing him lock it after to her. She ran to her dresser and quietly stuffed a sweatshirt in a drawstring bag from her bed. She shoved a blanket in too, before pulling it closed. She went over to her window and opened it. _Stupid Byakuya, _she thought to herself. She pushed her short dresser in front of her door to stall them for a bit. She gathered her blankets up together, tying them into a long rope. She tied it to her bed post before flinging the rest out the window. It was a foot or two short, but she could manage that. She had already planned this out in her head last night. She tested her weight on it and grabbed her bag, pulling it over her shoulders. Carefully, she slid down it her third story window and jumping down when she got to the end. She ducked down in a bush and peered out. The guards at the main gate to the mansion were already gone walking the perimeter. She took the chance to bolt to the gate before they came back. She easily slid between the bars of the gate. Byakuya really needed to make the spaces between the bars narrower. Suddenly, as expected, she heard the maid's scream as the empty room was found. Snickering, she ran down the street until she found a street sign. Pulling out a map, she headed out, determined to find Ichigo.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was moping in his apartment while Renji and Chad, another one of his friends, sat on the couch, watching their friend with sad eyes.

"How will I get her back?!" Ichigo groaned and collapsed on a chair. He covered his face with his hands. Renji made a move towards him, but stopped and shook his head. What were they to do? None of them had a clue where Byakuya had taken Rukia.

"You know, Ichigo, moping around is not going to help you get Rukia back," Chad said quietly. Ichigo sat up and listened. Usually when Chad talked, he had something wise to say.

"You're right, Chad. I'm going to Urahara's. Maybe he'll know something," Ichigo stood up and walked out of the apartment, leaving Chad and Renji.

"So he's just gonna leave us? Wait up Strawberry!" Renji yelled and ran after him. Chad just shook his head, sighed, and followed.

xxxxx

Rukia found herself outside of Ichigo's apartment building. She quickly ran inside and rode the elevator up to the 30th floor. She knocked on the door; no response. Great! She sighed and was about to turn back when she heard the door open. She froze at the sound and ducked inside of a utility closest.

"She's not here. We'll search the building again. She might have gotten lost sir," a voice said. She heard mumbling and the voices were gone. She waited five minutes before slowly coming out of the closest. They were gone. Sighing in relief, she started walking down the stairs. She wasn't going to take the elevator just in case. After a while, she finally made it down to the first floor. Peering out, she saw no one in sight. She quietly walked into the lobby only to see a bright-haired idiot.

"Ichigo!" she cried out. She leapt forward only to have a hand pull her

Ichigo walked into Urahara's shop. He found the owner behind the counter, passed out.

"Oi! Get up!" he yelled in Urahara's ear. The owner jumped up in surprise, his fan pointed at Ichigo.

"Aw, why'd you ruin my nap! I was having the most wonderful dream about Yo-," he was cut off by Ichigo's fist.

"Listen, I need you to find out where Rukia lives. NOW," Ichigo cut to the chases. Urahara nodded and turned somewhat serious. He led the Ichigo, Chad, and Renji over to a computer. He immediately began to mess with it, doing searches.

Over an hour later, he could come up with nothing.

"Sorry Kurosaki, but I can't find anything," Urahara apologized. Ichigo growled and stormed out of the shop and back home.

He got to his apartment building and walked into the lobby when he saw a certain raven-haired midget.

"Ichigo!" she cried out and leapt towards him. He smiled, but only for a minute, because he saw men come out of the shadows and pull her away.

"Ru-" he was cut off by a hand clamped on his mouth. He struggled around until a cloth was pressed to his face and he felt himself slip into a darkness.

**Sorry. Kind of crappy chapter. Oh well. :P Review if you like it? Thanks for reading! Oh and I want to say sorry again for the late update. PLEASE DON"T KILL ME! Kill my computer instead! Oh wait its already dead. Stupid old computer. Well BYE! **


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys. Sorry I haven't updated in a while. My WIFI for my laptop broke...Man my computers really don't want me to update. So yeah. I hope you enjoy! Shout out to _Sharpclaws_! They gave me the idea for the chapter. You rock, SHarpclaws! I thank you a million times! **

**P.S THanks to everyone who reviewed, or put my story on favorite/alert!**

Rukia felt strong arms yank her back. She saw Ichigo's horrified expression. She thought he yelled her name, but she was feeling woozy and distant. A sweet-smelling clothe was pressing into her face, covering her mouth and nose.

_No! Don't breathe it in! _She told herself, fighting to hold her breath. But, sadly, she could not hold it in any longer. Her mouth opened against her will and she took in a gulp of air. HEr eyelids felt heavier, and her world slowly turned to black. Before the darkness completely took over, she saw Ichigo being held back by a few men in suits. He was thrashing around like an animal. That's when her world crashed around her..

* * *

Ichigo swiped at the men holding him back, yelling curses for all to hear. He watched in horror as two other men dragged an unconisious Rukia outside to a waiting car.

"No!" he howled and struggled even more against the strong grips. One of the men rolled his eyes at Ichigo's desparte antics.

"Just give it up already, kid," he said. "You ain't going to find her. Give her up." He pressed a clothe in Ichigo's face, it having the same effect it had on Rukia. Ichigo's muscles relaxed and his body slumped forward. They casually dropped his body to the floor.

They headed over to the terrified lobby attendant, who was hiding behind the counter as she watched the scene unfold.

"You didn't see nothing," a man said before dropping various money bills in front of her. She nodded her head and crouched down to scoop up the money. The men left after phoning Byakuya.

The deed was done.

* * *

Rukia groaned and rubbed her head. She had a major headache. Looking around, she became very confused. Where the hell was she?

She was in a medium-sized room that was painted a buttercream yellow. She was laying on a small bed, the spreadsheets matching the wall color. Sliding off the bed, it all suddenly came back to her.

"Byakuya, you bastard," she whispered to herself. Putting her head on the knob of the door, she turned it to find out it was locked. She let outan un-ladylike curse. Spinning around, she ran to the window to find it had locks on it. She searched the room for any kind of escape, but there was none. She was trapped.

"Damn you Byakuya!" She yelled out, not caring who heard.

* * *

Ichigo let out a groan as his eyes opened. A bright light filled his vision, making him groan again and close his eyes.

"Get up sleepy!" An all-too famliar voice said.

"Urahara, whe the heel?" Ichigo said and sat up while rubbing his face.

"Finally, ya've been out for quite some time." Urahara said while hiding his face behind his fan.

"What? How'd I get to your shop?"

"Well, I came to go check on ya, cause I care about my little Ichii, and I saw ya passed out on the floor."

"I was?"

"Ya. You were drooling a bit too."

"Wait, where's Rukia?" Urahara shrugged his shoulders.

"I thought ya didn't know either."

"She was there! I remember now! She was there..."

"Well, where'd she go then?"

"She ...they took her." Ichigo's shoulders slumped forward as he recalled the events leading up until now.

"Who?" Urahara asked.

"Byakuya's people or something like that..."

"Oh, I see." Urahara fanned himself a couple of times before speaking again. "Well, go get her."

"What?"

"You heard me, go get her."

"But I don't know where she is..." Ichigo trailed off, deep in thought. "WAIT!"

"What?"

"That necklace I gave her! I put a small tracking device in it!" Ichigo leapt to his feet. "I totally forgot about that!"

"Ya put a tracking device in her necklace?"

"Yeah..." Ichigo sheepishly said. "Just in case."

"Eh. I did that with Yoruichi-san," Urahara shrugged his shoulders.

"And you act as if that's not a big deal," Ichigo pointed out.

"Hey, don't judge me! You just said you did that with Rukia!"

"Yeah..."

"Well, let's go get your girly friend back!"

* * *

Rukia paced her room, a plan already forming in her mind. They had to bring her food sometime, right? They had too. She'd just wait until whoever brought her food then she'd rush them. Knock them over and sprint. She'd sprint far, far away until she found Ichigo.

She missed him already. Honestly, she'd never thought she would have missed someone this much. She didn't even miss Byakuya that much when she was with Ichigo. But she did.

She paused her pacing for a monet and fingered her necklace. HEr mouth formed half a smile when she thought about the time Ichigo gave it to her. It was so sweet of him. And it must have cost him some large amount of money to get the charm that looked almost exactly like Leo.

She twirled the charm around her finger, letting her thoughts wander. She didn't her the footsteps that were heading towards her room until she heard a light knock on the door.

SHe snapped to attention and braced herself.

"Miss Rukia? Are you awake?" A woman's voice said before slowly opening the door. Rukia ran into the older woman and knocked her down. Bolting down the hallway, she took a random turn and bumped right into a man dressed in a black suit. Shit.

"Don't even think about it," he said in a gruff voice and escorted her back to her room.

"You gave me quite a scare dear," the woman said and bent down to pick up the spilled food items. Rukia immediately felt bad and bent down to help.

"I'm sorry," she softly said to the woman.

"Oh it's alright, dear," the woman smiled at her. SHe stood back up and watched as the woman and man left, the woman promising to bring something else up.

She sighed as the door closed. The door clicked, indicating they locked her in. Laying on her bed, Rukia let out another sigh. Who knows how long Byakuya would keep her locked up like a caged bird.

* * *

Ichigo's eyes could hardly keep themselves open as he stared at the computer screen. Urahara lent him his computer to try and track Rukia. So far, Ichigo couldn't pinpoint her location. He'd been at it for a few hours.

"Find anything yet?" Urahara called from the couch. HE was already half asleep. Every now and then he'd speak, but he mostly stayed silent.

"No," Ichigo said. He sighed and punched in a few things on the computer.

Suddenly, a bright red, blinking dot appeared on the computer screen with a map following.

"Found her!"

**Short chapter, I know. I'm tired. ANd I honsetly don't have much inspiration for this story anyway. And I'm at the point where I get in all my stories where I abosulutely hate the story. Yay. -.- This story has some major editing to do. More fun for me! Woo. Anyways, review if you want. Oh- and another thing. If you do decided to review, can you guys steer away from the "plz update' ones? I'm grateful for each and ever review i recieve, but it'd be nice to have some reviews that told me what people liked her didn't like or something like that. Thanks guys. Bluekit loves you guys. **


	18. Chapter 18

Ichigo grinned to himself as he took a sip of his coffee and looked over the map he had drawn. He had to admit, he wasn't a bad drawer. He was actually pretty good.

The map they had printed out was too small to read so Ichigo drew it instead. Don't ask how long it took.

Ichigo was now in a small coffee shop with Urahara looking over the map. They were only a few miles from their destination.

He was a little surprised Byakuya had chosen such a small and secluded town to hid Rukia in. He expected something bigger. Fancy.

"Ready to go?" Urahara asked as he grabbed his cup of coffee and stood up.

Ichigo closed his eyes and took a deep breath before nodding and also getting up. He needed to concentrate. He was only a few miles from Rukia and he certainly could not screw it up.

"You do realize I have no plan? That we're basically going to barge in there?" Ichigo slowly drawled out his words. He casted a glance over to Urahara's calm face.

"Yea'," Urahara said.

Oh, okay then," Ichigo said, a bit taken back. He automatically assumed Urahara would object or something. Weren't old people suppose to be smart?

"What?" Urahara tilted his hat forward so his eyes were completely covered.

"Well," Ichigo began. "I thought you were going to object because I have no plan and that's pretty stupid. Plus I thought old people were suppose to be smarter or something. Well, maybe you missed out on that gene or something." Ichigo muttered the last part.

"Oh, you're just hilarious Ichigo! When are you going to learn that I'm just a crazy old man? Well I'm that old…," Urahara laughed poked Ichigo's cheek with his fan.

"Fine, I take all of that back. Now get that fan out of my face before I rip it into shreds," Ichigo growled, swatting his hand away.

Urahara retracted his fan while giving Ichigo his pouting face.

"Now, now. Let's not be so grumpy," he said.

"I'm not grumpy!" Ichigo argued.

"Yes you are. Just look at that face!" Urahara exclaimed and poked Ichigo's face again with his fan.

Ichigo's eye slightly twitched. He suddenly snatched Urahara's fan from his hands. Opening the coffee shop door, he chucked the fan as hard as he could while yelling, "Fetch!"

Urahara let out a squeak and dove after his fan.

Ichigo let out a satisfied huff before turning back around. A little boy watched with wide eyes while his mother shot him a glare. Ichigo just rolled his eyes, turning back to his map and coffee that still sat on the table.

"Ichigo, you're such a meanie!" Urahara reappeared with a slightly dirty fan in hand.

"Oh whatever," Ichigo said. "Now let's go." He walked out of the coffee shop to Urahara's old, beat-up truck. Yes, a truck.

He climbed into the passenger seat with distaste, waiting for Urahara to move his slow ass into the car.

"Come on," he groaned.

Urahara chose not to comment and get into the car. He started it before getting onto the road.

"Why'd you have to get a truck?" Ichigo said as his eyes looked over the rusting car.

"Because I wanted one!" Urahara said.

"Yeah," Ichigo said and rolled his eyes.

"So, you have no plan?' Urahara reconfirmed.

"Nope, no plan," Ichigo said.

"Hm, winging it. I like it," Urahara said and wiggled his eyebrows.

"Don't ever do that again," Ichigo added, "Just focus on driving please."

"Whatever you say Ichi," Urahara giggled.

"And don't call me that," Ichigo growled.

"But you let Yuzu call you that," Urahara said, whining.

"Yeah, because she's my little sister. And you're just an insane, weird, and crazy old man. There's a difference," Ichigo rolled his eyes.

"Ehhh," Urahara said.

"Oh shut up," Ichigo groaned as he slammed his head against the headrest.

"Gladly," Urahara snipped back before becoming silent.

They sat in silence for the next half hour. Urahara kept his focus on driving while Ichigo fretted. Anything could go wrong!

_What if I can't find her?_

_What if they moved her again? _

What if, what if, and more what ifs. They were all circling through his mind, taunting him.

He ran a hand through his already messy hair and sighed. He needed to stop worrying.

"Calm down, Ichigo," Urahara added, "All your worrying is distracting me from keeping my eyes on the road."

Ichigo chuckled while rolling his eyes.

"All you were keeping your eyes on was that hitch-hiker with a dress that barely covered her butt."

"Oh, shut up," Urahara said, but smiled. He was glad Ichigo was settling down a bit. Just a bit.

"Well, we're here," he announced.

Ichigo looked around in confusion. There wasn't a house in sight. Only trees. So many trees.

"I'm pretty sure we're not," Ichigo said still looking around.

"Oh yes, we are," Urahara said and got out of the car.

"Where's the house then?" Ichigo said, pointing his finger in a random direction.

"Oh, we're walking."

"Walking?!"

"Yes. Were you move while slightly bending your legs."

"I know how to walk, stupid! I meant why the hell are we walking?" Ichigo waved his arms above his head to empathize.

"Calm down. You'll attract attention. Even if you have a carrot for hair."

"Carrot?!" Ichigo fumed, pulling his hair. "I should have asked someone smart like Yoruichi!"

"Hey now. Don't be using my lady against me."

"Your lady…?" Ichigo's face twisted into a disgusted expression.

"Yeah, didn't you know? I'm going out with Yoruichi."

"Since when?"

"Since two years ago."

"Oh. Well, I didn't know."

"Well now you do. Now, let's stay on task, shall me?"

"Okay, fine. Now please tell me why we're even walking?" Ichigo sighed.

"Isn't it obvious? So that they have no clue we're coming! We'll be like ninjas and sneak up on them!" Urahara proudly said as if he came up with the most elaborate plan ever.

"Oh. Seems like it'll work," Ichigo said, admitting to himself it wasn't a bad plan.

"Of course it will. Have I ever steered ya wrong before?" Urahara giggled.

"Yes. Many times actually," Ichigo said.

"Aw. Don't be so mean," Urahara pouted.

"Whatever. Now let's get walking. The sooner we find the house, the sooner we get Rukia. The sooner we get Rukia, the less irritable I'll be," Ichigo said and directed his gaze at Urahara.

"Yeah, yeah," Urahara grumbled and began to walk with Ichigo beside him.

After walking for what seemed like forever, they stumbled upon a quaint house. It was a butter cream yellow, and was quite small and dainty.

"They're keeping Rukia here?" Ichigo said and scrunched up his face. "It'll be almost too easy to break in here."

Urahara shook his head. "Never underestimate anything. For all we know this place could be crawling with Kuchiki's goons."

"Oh," Ichigo said.

"We better wait until it's dark. Then we'll figure out which room is Rukia's and go through the window or something," Urahara said before sitting behind a bush. Ichigo followed his lead and sat next to him.

"We must be very quiet," Urahara whispered and stared at the house.

Ichigo nodded and moved so he sat criss-crossed. He leaned his cheek on his hand and let out a bored sigh. This going to be a long few hours.

Around two hours later, it was completely dark. The moon was only sliver, giving off a tiny bit of light. Ichigo got up and stretched his sore and cramped muscles.

"Longest two hours of my life," he grumbled.

"Let's go," Urahara said and began to move towards the now dark house. All the lights were out except one.

"Okay," Ichigo said, moving towards the side of the house. He planned to head to the right side of the house when he heard a sigh from the window above him. His head snapped up to see the exact person he was looking for. He restrained himself from shouting her name.

"Rukia!" he loudly whispered.

She looked down in confusion. But then she saw Ichigo.

"Ichigo! She cried.

"Rukia! I'm coming to get you!" Ichigo said before scratching his head. How the hell was he going to get up to her on a second story house?

"But how?" She asked.

"Jump down," he said, the idea coming to him instantly.

"What?! Are you crazy?" Rukia whispered.

"I'll catch you. I promise," Ichigo said and opened his arms up.

"I-I can't. I just can't. I'm scared."

"I promise I'll catch you. Please," Ichigo said.

"Fine. But if you don't catch me I'll hate you forever," Rukia nervously chuckled. She opened the window all the way before half climbing out.

Ichigo waited for her, his arms still open. She took a deep breath before jumping.

Ichigo caught her, but the impact sent both of them tumbling to the ground.

"You okay?" Ichigo asked from beside her.

"I think so. Maybe a few bruises," Rukia said and poked her arms. "Are you okay?"

"Fine."

"Okay, lovebirds. Let's get a move on it before someone finds us," Urahara interrupted.

"Okay, okay," Ichigo grumbled and got up before helping Rukia up.

"I'm glad you found me," Rukia said and tightly hugged Ichigo. "But how _did _you find me?" She pulled back and looked him in the eye.

"I'll..er…explain later," Ichigo said before leading her through the forest after Urahara. They finally found where they hid the car.

Once back on the road, Rukia asked the same question.

"Can I explain when we get home?" Ichigo sighed, not really wanting to tell her.

"Okay…" Rukia said and leaned her head against Ichigo's shoulder.

She quickly fell asleep leaving Ichigo to think.

His thoughts were full of ways to tell her how exactly he found her.

However he told her, he knew she wouldn't take it well.

**Well. I updated. Woo. Please review telling me what you liked/disliked. Note: This story will be going under major editing. When I first started this story, my writing was absolutely horrible. And it probably still is. I apologize. Also, I would very much appreciate if you left a review that actually told me what you liked/disliked or constructed criticisms. Please don't leave reviews that just say, "plz update." It'd be very much appreciated. I love you guys a lot. Thanks for being here for me.**

**-Bluekit5**


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